A Wonderful Week
by Lord Kinesis
Summary: After a little more than a year, Todd and Maurecia are still dating but are left alone by their families during their Christmas break. But are they ready to spend two and a half weeks alone? Neither of them appear to think so. It's only a matter of time before they see each other again, a matter of time that can be greatly reduced. Rated T for now, rated M closer to the end.
1. An Invitation

An Invitation

 **Author's Note: Attention readers, after a short break I've had plenty of time to brainstorm for another Wayside story. Though, before the story begins I think I should get through a couple of premature warnings.**

 **First off, this story continues the events of New Standards, so I'd recommend if you haven't read my last one yet you should probably start there. Some things happened in it that wouldn't make sense if you only read it here. And secondly, while most of this story falls into the T rating, there will be some M rated things closer to the end, and at a bare minimum I'd respectfully rather not get any negative reviews for that. But if you're a hardcore shipper of Todd and Maurecia, then this story might just be for you. I feel like many Wayside fanfics so far have had attempted romance but few of them reaching their full potential. Unlike the last one though, this one will be around 50/50 for character time and it takes place a year later. Let's start with Todd.**

Sunday

Todd's POV

It's December 20th and I've just settled in for my Christmas break. Originally school was planned for Monday and Tuesday, but a massive blizzard is expected so Mr. Kidswatter dismissed the entire school on Friday. My parents have planned a week at Las Vegas and even invited me to go with them. But as cool as the hotel probably is, I would probably get bored. I told them I'd rather spend the week here at the house. They were worried I'd get lonely but I denied it. Now it's been two days since they've left. I left for school on Friday morning and now I haven't spoken to anyone in person since I came home on the bus that day. I was truly wrong about not getting lonely. I already miss my parents. But, even though I've had a couple of days for online gaming, it's not always enough. I do it so I have some people to talk to but gamer buddies come and go.

I turn to my left and discard my controller. I'm done playing video games for a little while. I spot my phone and suddenly catch an idea. My parents are gone and won't be back until Christmas day at the earliest. I should call my girlfriend and have her spend a night or two with me right? It sounds like fun and now that we're freshmen, we ought to have some way of showing responsibility. It'll be like we're living together… temporarily of course. I know Maurecia has wanted to reach the end of high school so we could get married and live life together, though I'm not fond of looking in that direction now since I'm only fifteen, but I'm not uncomfortable with Maurecia thinking that way anymore. I know now that I love her so it doesn't bother me.

Man a relationship sure can be scary. We wouldn't even be together if I hadn't knocked her out for a couple of days. It's kinda sad to look at it that way, but at the same time Maurecia forgave me immediately and changed her ways of being a rough dominant. Nowadays she treats me like I'm the one in charge, which is tough to believe based on who she was the first time we met, but a relationship isn't hard to manage once you get used to it. And it's easier for me knowing that Maurecia won't cheat on me for anyone else no matter what. If we were to break up it'd be my choice. But trust me, it's not worth it, Maurecia isn't worth giving up. It used to be, she'd punch me on the shoulders at least once a day against my will. The only way I could've stopped her was if I fought back, which I did. Looking at it now it wasn't worth doing, but who cares? That was a year ago and now we're closer than ever before! I take out my phone and begin texting.

"Do you want to come over for a night?" I say as I put the words into the phone. "I'm all alone this holiday week and I could really use some company. I miss you already, and I don't really want to wait until January to see you again. If you're available, I'd enjoy spending some time with you this week." I feel a passionate smile on my face as I read over the text. Ever since Maurecia and I have warmed up to each other she stopped punching me and I no longer had to ignore her. And boy am I glad that's over? I was worried I'd have arthritis in the future. Though I think this message isn't complete quite yet.

"I love you." I add. I feel like the message alone is going to make her day. I just hope she's available because I really would like some company, and no one could provide company better than my close girlfriend. I tap the send button. I'm immediately a little timid now because the text is out there and there's no going back now. I can't undo the message after it's sent so all I can hope for is that she'll read it and respond positively. I get back onto my Xbox and resume my game. I'll just have to wait a while to earn a response.

Maurecia's POV

Ah, just another Sunday night. This one doesn't feel like Sunday though because I don't have school tomorrow. Some people look at school like a place they have to go, I look at school as something I get to go to. And it's all worth it getting to see my one true love, Todd. He's the one and only boy of my dreams and every time I see him I feel like I'm in another world. A world where there's no feelings except for love, a world that he guides me through as a path to his heart. And I'm so fortunate to be Todd's girlfriend. For the longest time I've been trying to win his heart but my damn fist kept getting in the way. It wasn't its own doing though, I couldn't get close to Todd without feeling embarrassed or desperate so I'd punch him to hide my feelings. But it never meant anything. When I was finally ready to give up punching him forever, he actually punched me, and I experienced his degree of pain the next couple of days in the hospital. But an impact I didn't try to make hit Todd as well. He felt pain under the shame for hurting me and eventually came to make sure I was okay. Little did I know he also safely escorted me to the medics before I could bleed out. He took care of me, and when he was present while I was unconscious, he woke me up. I wish I could take care of him sometime, but he's so independent and tough that he seems incapable of needing me to care for him. That's sad on its own. Sometimes I'm worried Todd doesn't need me. He's done so many things for me so far and all I could do was say thank you. I really miss him right now, and I won't get to see him in school for two weeks, a full fourteen days without him is going to feel like a month for me!

"Hey Fluffy?" I call lightly to my pet porcupine. "Do you miss Todd?" He yawns and shrugs. It's 8:30 and we've already eaten but Fluffy's pretty tired. "Do you want to see him again this Christmas break?"

"EYEA!" He shrieks and gets back into a ball lying down. He's been in a pretty bad mood since winter started even though it's mostly my fault. I don't want him to go into hibernation like my old pet. I used to own a hedgehog when I was in fifth grade, but one cold winter night, the house got kinda cold and I found him asleep on his side. I assumed it was just an early nap but the next day he wouldn't wake up when I tapped him. Hibernation is lethal to their health and I know porcupines are extremely similar to hedgehogs. Every morning I take Fluffy's heart rate to make sure he's not slowing down, and furthermore I limit his nap time and his snacks so he's not able to attempt hibernation.

"Come on Fluffy." He sighs in annoyance as I pick him up and gently stroke his back. "You know it's because I care about you?" He shakes his head. "Boy is it going to be some Christmas for us this year. Two of my brothers are sick, my dad is defending a suspect, my mom keeps working night shifts, and we really don't have anything to do." Fluffy sighs again. But it really doesn't feel like a Christmas vacation when your two oldest brothers have already graduated for college, your dad is a lawyer doing a case in another state, your mom is never home when you fall asleep, and you're basically just on your own for meals since my oldest brother just sits on the couch and plays video games and the other healthy one is, I guess he's willing to cook for others, but he's not good at cooking full meals as opposed to one item for everyone. And having two more boys in the house while they have the flu is a pretty scary concept. If I don't keep my distance with them then I could randomly catch their ailments. I don't like getting sick and I don't think anyone does. Whenever I get sick on a school day I'm always annoyed because I don't get to see Todd for the day and that's just a bother for me as a whole in general. Fluffy suddenly pokes my hip.

"What is it Fluffy?" I ask as he hands me my phone. Then he gets back into his bed and wraps a small blanket over his body. He turns over at me and yawns. "You can sleep for now." I tell him as he rolls over and shuts his eyes. I then look back at my phone and notice I got a text. "Do you want to come over for a night? I'm all alone this holiday week and I could really use some company." My eyes widen a little as I read this and realize it's my boyfriend saying this. "I miss you already and I don't really want to wait until January to see you again. If you're available, I'd enjoy spending some time with you this week." I can't help but find that extremely adorable! Last year I could send Todd a message and he'd change his number before he even looked at the message, but now he's inviting me to come to his house? "I love you." I hold the phone in front of my heart for a second. This text message really made my day.

"Hey Fluffy!" I exclaim as he wakes up in an irritated mood. "Do you want to go to Todd's house for a night or possibly a little more?" Fluffy sighs in annoyance and holds his thumb up. "Okay! It's settled!" But I don't really feel like sending him a message now. I want to talk to him and hear his voice myself.

Todd's POV

After finishing my game and my dinner, I begin doing some experiments. I'm in the basement working on a couple scientific devices. It's winter time now so if I need to activate a generator for the house then I'm willing to do so. Using a couple of heatproof gloves I remove a pair of cold magnets from a cooling storage. By the time they're warm again they should have the strongest electronic current possible. I set them inside a Styrofoam box to negate their properties until removed and then go back upstairs. Just when I'm ready to sit down I hear my phone vibrating. I sit down and pick it up.

"Hello?" I answer to hear an unexpected voice.

"Hello Todd." It's my close girlfriend calling me.

"Maurecia! How are you?" I ask excitedly.

"I'm doing well sweetheart. I'm just caught in a very similar situation right now." She says in an adorable voice.

"Are you alone to?" I ask.

"Not necessarily, but my dad won't be home this week, my mom's never home at night, and right now I'm in a house, with four brothers that won't do anything for me. It feels pretty lonely having no one to talk to." I'm a little confused.

"Don't you have Fluffy with you?"

"Yeah, but he's been in a bad mood since winter began. I have to keep him out of hibernation so I've been keeping a closer eye on him." There's a real surprise. "But I'm sure he'll want to spend more time with you to." She sounds very eager.

"Okay then. Should I be prepared to see you tomorrow?" She chuckles a couple of times.

"If you don't mind I'd like to spend a little more than one night with you, if that's okay." I raise an eyebrow.

"I don't know. My parents aren't home right now and I didn't necessarily bother to check in with them first." I say.

"Oh really, but we are both in the ninth grade now." She says.

"What does that mean?" I ask confused.

"I think that's the age a child should be trusted at home alone for a night." I can't really disagree with that. "Besides, didn't you promise me last year that sometime we'd have a night in the future with just the two of us?" The memory comes back to me.

"Yes I did!" I say cheerfully. Maurecia responds pretty quickly.

"Then it's a date!" I hear her say with equal tone. "I cannot wait." I feel a casual smile appear on my face.

"Me neither sweetie. I love you." I say.

"I love you to cutie pie!" She giggles and I chuckle a couple of times. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"I'll look forward to it. Bye now."

"Bye Todd." I hear her say as I hang up the phone. I then raise my fist in the air.

"YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes!" I cheer as I get to my room and plug my phone in. It's finally happening, Maurecia is coming to my house for at least one night and maybe even longer! I cannot wait myself because we've been in a relationship for a little more than a year now, and only dated a couple of times. I've been to her house once and met her six older brothers. They seemed kinda nice but they also seemed like the type that would annoy Maurecia on purpose while I'm around just to have something to laugh about. Another time she came here but my mom, being the overly caring mother that she is, wouldn't take her eyes off us. I kept waiting for a moment of privacy so we could kiss but she wouldn't leave us alone. But not this time! This time there isn't anyone who can separate us or interfere… except Fluffy, but he and I are on good terms now that he knows I'm not a threat to his relationship with Maurecia. I doubt he'll do anything harmful. I turn off all the lights and get into my bed while my charming conscience treats me to relaxing dreams of my adorable yet super hot girlfriend. The thoughts of her arms wrapped around me made falling asleep much easier for me.

 **Author's Note: I'll stop there for now. Hopefully this story is as easy to get into as the last one. Next chapter is coming soon. Thank you and goodnight.**


	2. A Heavenly Morning

A Heavenly Morning

 **Author's Note: Attention readers, hopefully the first chapter was relevant to your usual expectation when reading a story. So here's another one. I feel like I should state that I'm currently a little less motivated to writing this story than I was last time, but that could just be since I just started and it's not very popular yet. So long story short, this story may take longer to finish than the last one, but I promise that doesn't mean it won't get done. This mood could change once I get into it and hopefully it will.**

Monday

Maurecia's POV

It's a bright and early Monday morning and it's currently the first Monday since Labor Day that I've been officially free. I can't help but think about what it's like to not have school today. The first Monday of Christmas break is never a day anyone looks forward to in particular unless it's Christmas day. But right now I need to prepare to go to Todd's house. There's a blizzard planned sometime this week and it won't be pleasant for me alone since I wear roller blades. I'd use boots this time, if I didn't need the skates as a transportation source. I'm fourteen, almost fifteen and I don't have a car or a school permit. But Todd's house is farther away than the school so it's not like a permit would do me any good anyways.

I get up and pack a bag with a couple extra shirts, some sweatpants, underwear, an extra bra, and a pair of pajamas. Then I put on a red, hooded sweatshirt because I really need to wear things like that this time of year. It's way too cold outside to do otherwise. I mean, I could wear a coat but then my ears would get cold. I can't fit a hat over my helmet. I also pack my diary because I might have a few things to add or a couple of stories to tell Todd. My, or I guess 'our' scrapbook that I may have a few photos to add later on. And then of course a toothbrush because Todd wants to be a dentist in the future so I need to have sparkly teeth when around him. When I'm about to close the bag I realize Fluffy isn't awake yet. I tap him lightly on the side to signal him.

"Hey Fluffy." I whisper and he just rolls over. "Rise and shine." He opens his eyes slowly and steps off his bed. I then pick up a black stethoscope my mom gave me from her hospital and begin counting Fluffy's heart rate. He just yawns and gives me a grumpy look.

"Come on Fluffy. You wouldn't want to go into hibernation now would you?" He only rolls his eyes until I'm done counting. "Your heart sounds healthy for now sweetie." Fluffy sighs and gets back in his bed. I have to forbid this.

"I don't think so Fluffy." He groans in annoyance. It's true I don't leave him alone during winter but he should know that if he turned out like my hedgehog I'd never forgive myself. I put my stethoscope into my bag as well because I'll need it for the next couple of days with Fluffy behind me. I then look down at his pair of skates and helmet and ask.

"Do you want to bring your skates to Todd's house?" He folds his arms and shakes his head. I only roll my eyes. "Okay, I guess you aren't really feeling it today." I step out of the room and on my way out I see my older brother Parker, playing on his PC. He normally doesn't show anyone else a lot of attention but this time he oddly tilts his screen down.

"Maurecia? Where are you going?" He asks.

"I'm going to spend the night with my boyfriend." I say as he raises an eyebrow.

"Did dad say it was okay?" I sit on a chair across from him.

"I texted him and he says it's okay, but he's a little worried the blizzard could come in and I'd have a tough time getting home." To my surprise he closes his computer and removes his earbuds.

"Well then maybe you shouldn't go." I sigh.

"Parker."

"Yeah Sis?"

"Do you know Todd personally?" He shrugs.

"From what I've seen he's pretty cool and I do applaud to you for choosing him instead of one of those dumbasses a lot of girls date first." I raise an eyebrow in slight annoyance.

"Are you saying a lot of girls date dumb guys? Because that sounds a little sexist."

"No, I'm just saying that most people's first relationship isn't their last." I guess that's fair. "Most of the time the first relationship fails and both members try to do better with the second. Though, usually the first one ends because the guy rushes to sex or does something else that's immature and irredeemable." This makes sense, but I'm still confused by his timing.

"Why are you telling me this now?" I ask as he grins.

"Because you're only a freshman. That's a little young for dating don't you think?" I nod.

"To most perspectives I'd agree. But I'm so determined to being with Todd that it overrides that."

"I know, and I know Todd cares about you to. I'm just saying that since most first relationships don't work out, I'm proud that you're with someone a little more sane." I smile at him.

"You really did give me my space while Todd was around. Unlike Jonas, Caleb, and Eli." Parker smiles a little wider.

"It's because I'm not immature like they are. I'd sit down and play games while you ate dinner with Todd because I thought you deserved a little alone time. And trust me, none of our brothers are going to keep their first girlfriend." I chuckle at that.

"Well what are you getting at?"

"I'm saying that I'm proud you have reasonable standards and this guy meets them. Did you know that last year when you were in the hospital I wanted to find Todd and beat him up?" That surprises me.

"No I didn't."

"I didn't know for sure who did it and I was a little surprised when I found out the guy who hit you happened to be the boy of your dreams. But I'll tell you this, if you want to keep this boyfriend, you need to spend at least fifty percent of the time doing what he wants to do."

"I don't think that will be too difficult." I say.

"And you might need to slow down a little as a whole so you don't overwhelm him." I roll my eyes.

"Todd's already used to my insane speed. I wouldn't worry about that either." He shrugs.

"Well I mean, are his parents used to you riding roller blades indoors?"

"His parents aren't even home." He grins.

"Oh I see, you're taking this opportunity to spend some alone time with him." I nod.

"Can you name a better time?" He shakes his head.

"No Maurecia I can't. On Christmas break if his parents are gone, your parents are gone, your brothers are sick or lazy, or you just feel trapped inside, then I say go for it." I smile.

"Thanks Parker. And I guarantee when you get a girlfriend you'll treat her well."

"That really means a lot to me. Have a good time."

"I will, but can you handle being in a house plagued with the flu?" He nods and puts his earbuds back in.

"Don't worry about me Sis. I'm the man of the house." I smile and open the door.

"Okay then, bye Parker." I get outside and realize Fluffy isn't on my shoulder. "Fluffy? Where'd you go?" I step back in the house and notice Fluffy sitting next to Parker and watching him play his game. "Fluffy!" Parker tilts his computer screen.

"Is something wrong?" He asks as I point to Fluffy. "Oh, I guess he wanted to watch me play." Fluffy nods and I roll my eyes.

"There's no time for that." I pick Fluffy up and set him on my shoulder.

"EYAH!" He squeals.

"Just calm down and hang on tight." I open the door and go at full speed down the road, only a few minutes later I'm at his house. "Okay Fluffy, are you ready to see Todd?" He holds his thumb up. "Okay then!" I ring the doorbell.

For a couple of seconds I'm just standing here and there isn't any greeting at all. Is he not home? No, that can't be possible. I ring the doorbell a second time and a couple seconds later Todd opens the door.

"Good morning Maurecia." He says while winking.

"Good morning Todd." I say while blushing, he blushes to moments after.

"Please come in." He says as I step into his house. His living room has a large T.V. in the center and a Christmas tree in the corner. I bet he did a little customization here and there to welcome me. Fluffy suddenly jumps onto his shoulder.

"Fluffy! Don't bother Todd!" I say a little vigorously. But to my surprise Todd begins laughing.

"Ha, ha, ha! I see someone else missed me huh?" Fluffy licks Todd twice on the back of the ear. I chuckle a couple of times at that.

"Fluffy doesn't normally do that anymore." Todd picks him up and holds him in his hands.

"Well then I guess I'm his favorite." Fluffy hugs Todd's chest, he never hugs me like that.

"Okay Fluffy, I think Todd's something we'll have to share." Todd bursts out in laughter after that.

"Ha! That's hilarious!" Then Fluffy taps him a few times. "What is it Fluffy?" He points to the stairs. "You want to go upstairs?" He nods. "Okay, let's go." As we take a couple of steps Fluffy holds his hand out at me.

"What?" I ask as he shakes his head. Todd shrugs a little.

"I think he wants to speak to me in private." Fluffy nods in agreement with him. Both Todd and I look at each other for a second.

"What's this all about?" I ask.

"I don't know." Todd says. "But maybe I should find out. In the meantime why don't you make yourself comfortable on the couch?" I smile at him.

"Okay. Have fun you two." I sit down as they enter Todd's room and I pull out my scrapbook. I look at some of the pictures I had before we got together and they were all wishful thoughts, then I look at all the photos we've taken together and they look so much cuter than the old ones. There's a photo of me and Todd at the pool together. Seeing him without his shirt is pretty hot. Sometimes it's even a turn on. Another photo has me and him in a haunted house. The entire time I was hugging his arm. I wasn't scared but I pretended I was, and Todd pretended like he was incredibly brave the whole time. A couple of other times we were kissing, hugging, holding hands, or just lying together. One time we took a nap in a hammock together. I didn't fall asleep but it felt amazing to be next to Todd the whole time. A couple minutes later Todd comes out.

"Okay we're done." I immediately turn towards him.

"What's the story?" I ask as he sits next to me.

"He says you won't stop bothering him." I'm a little confused.

"How do you two talk to each other?" He sighs.

"It's something that Fluffy told me not to share. But we do have a way of communicating directly."

"Why doesn't Fluffy want me to know?" He shrugs.

"I guess it's a 'guys' thing. But he did say he's pretty annoyed right now."

"Why?" I ask.

"He says you won't let him sleep or eat as much." I make a defending face.

"I have a reason for that. I don't want him hibernating." Todd's casual grin appears.

"I see, you don't want your best friend falling asleep on you this winter." I nod.

"I mean you did say I should spend more time with him and give him more attention. Isn't this what he wanted?" Todd shakes his head.

"No Maurecia, he's annoyed because you won't give him any time alone anymore. He says you walk into the bathroom with him now." That's one of my favorite things about Fluffy, I don't have to clean up after him.

"I used to give him five minutes alone but later he tried to take a nap without me watching him. He lost that privilege." Todd rolls his eyes.

"I think he just wants a little bit of leash."

"I give him the leash whenever it's not winter okay? I even let him walk around school and go places on his own."

"Well he says he's not planning on hibernation any time soon so you should stop stalking him." I sigh.

"Hibernation isn't something they think about Todd." He leans on his side of the couch. "He could easily go to bed one night and not wake up the next morning."

"Not if he isn't well fed." I nod.

"And that's why I limit his food each day as well." He frowns a little.

"No offense Maurecia, but that's not real good caretaking." I roll my eyes in disagreement. "He may be a porcupine but he believes you're taking away his rights as a living being." I finally snap.

"Todd! Hibernation is lethal to his health! If I don't keep a close eye on him this year, he could die! And believe me, he's barely three years old. I'm not ready to lose him now!"

"Okay." Todd says slowly while looking intimidated. I wrap my arms around his back.

"I'm sorry cutie." I say apologetically. "It's just a little scary knowing I could lose one of the two boys I love more than anyone else." He hugs me back.

"That's understandable. Is Fluffy a lot of work?" He asks.

"He can be at times. But he's a smaller animal version of me in a nutshell. He really loves doing stunts. And he's overly protective of me to anyone who may pose a threat." He frowns.

"Believe me. I'm well aware of that." He sighs. "As if you punching me a lot in the shoulders wasn't painful enough." I give a sympathetic frown.

"I know, and I'm sorry I ever did that." He responds pretty quickly.

"You shouldn't be the sorry one. I'm the one who almost killed you the only time I did it." I begin massaging his shoulders.

"Aw, cutie pie." I say in a loving higher pitch voice. "I forgave you for that last year." A tear rolls down his face.

"But, I still can't forgive myself for that. I think about it a lot you know? The fact that you were in a coma that I caused and it was a convenient miracle you were able to wake up at all, let alone in two days." I climb on top of him and hold us close together. He hugs back and continues. "It was really scary for me just looking at the thought of you not coming back, and it was too late to undo that action after I did it. It felt like I-" I suddenly cut him off by pressing our lips together. He immediately closes his eyes. A couple seconds later we stop.

"Todd." I say while give him a serious yet casual face. "I don't like looking back to that either. And the fact that you look back to it actually saddens me more." He looks down. "But honestly, I'm actually partially glad you did it." He looks up shocked.

"You don't actually mean that do you?" I give him a somewhat sad frown.

"Todd, if you hadn't punched me, you probably would've left Wayside school when that week was over. At the same time, if you had forgiven me, I would've felt like an irredeemable jerk."

"Why's that?" He asks.

"Because over the last year, I've looked back to all the times I punched you and looking at it now, I felt really guilty. If you hadn't punched me one time in return then I never would've learned how you felt." His eyes widen. "And if you hadn't knocked me out, you would've never learned how I felt knowing that I could've driven someone I care about away from me. I could've lost you forever." He speaks up.

"I'm not sure if I'd go that far." I respond quickly.

"But it is accurate. If we went through that week without that one instant, you would've adamantly walked out on Friday never to return. If you were indeed too mature to retaliate, I would've spent the entire week trying to get you to stay and after all the times I punched you, you wouldn't do likewise." He sighs.

"You're probably right about that."

"It can't be denied that moment where you visited me in the hospital brought us closer together than ever before." He nods.

"I agree."

"But you coming to see me only proved one thing, you actually cared about me." He smiles. "And if I were in an accident that were caused in any way unaffiliated by you, you wouldn't have had the urge to come."

"It's hard to say for sure on that."

"You might've felt a little more remorseful when you left Wayside, but you would've done it anyways. Me spending time in the hospital helped me learn what it's like to stand out alone with no one who hears you." His smile begins looking more a more pure by the second. "And while I was unconscious I had a bad dream."

"What was the dream about?" He asks in an eager sounding way.

"I was trapped in an empty void. A void that was pitch black and no sign of life anywhere, no matter which direction I went, there wasn't even any hope for me even getting anywhere." I pause for a second. "But then I heard a familiar voice." I look up, mimicking how I envisioned myself in my dream.

"I heard a voice calling for me at the end of the tunnel. Outside of this black hole that hasn't finished evaporating. So I followed that voice until I could see some light, the exit was getting closer and closer to me. Every step I took I felt stronger than before and an eternal surprise was waiting for me." He lays there looking at me with a fascinating reaction on his face.

"Every step I took, the voice was clearer and more identifiable. I could feel my heart getting faster and faster. I took one look back at the dark void behind me and felt I was dead and my soul was reaching heaven. Then I faced forward and prayed for the best outcome. If my life is officially over, then I'm ready to accept it, only knowing I could smile down on you for the rest of your eternity." A heartfelt tear falls down his face, then I make eye contact with him.

"But I wasn't dead Todd, after I stepped through the bright barrier, I was back in my place on earth and guess who was there to greet me when I was freed from that dark imprisonment."

"Me?" Todd says under a river of joyful tears.

"You." I hug him again holding our bodies as close together as I could. "I thought I was dead and I was ready to leave everything behind because I thought I had no choice, but the fact that you were there for me when I reached the end, you saved my soul from its early one way trip to heaven. The words you said in your prayer purified me and brought me back to you. And that's a journey I was uncertain where or when it would end. Going through that dreaded nightmare made me stronger at heart and gave me a better vision on how easy a life is to end. When I woke up and saw you holding my hand in the hospital…" I begin crying as well.

"I felt reborn. I felt that my soul had been cleansed and the capacity I had for love had reached new limits that didn't exist before. Your very presence renewed me Todd, and that's something I will never forget as long as I'm living, and I'm so thankful I have you with me in life. Life's a journey to Todd, and I'm glad we're doing ours together."

"Wow." He sniffles. "I've never heard anyone say anything half as beautiful before." We both look into each other's eyes for a second before he hugs me closely. "I love you so much!" He says in a broken voice. I hug him back gently.

"I love you to. And there isn't another boy on the planet I'd rather be with than you." He kisses me on the cheek.

"Me neither Maurecia." I wrap my arms around him and prepare for the best week I'll ever have.

 **Author's Note: There you go. This one kinda came out of nowhere and I didn't plan on ending it this way, but I'll save my original plans for the next chapter. Carry on readers, goodnight. :)**


	3. Just a Bite

Just a Bite

 **Author's Note: Attention readers. I'm going to attempt to pick up the pace a little more on this story and hopefully I succeed with that. This chapter should be a little easier to read I'd say because it gets a little further into the storyline and isn't only a long conversation. Also, if anyone's worried about an M rated chapter, I'll give you a warning prematurely so you know. But we won't get there for a little while. Also, I can't switch characters yet. Maurecia isn't done yet.**

Maurecia's POV

After getting that explanation off of my chest, Todd seems more attracted to me than ever. And that's surprising even for me. The Maurecia he first met two years ago could only dream of getting this close to him as a girlfriend. But that Maurecia is gone now. She's evolved, not back into the harmless and childish person she was back when Fluffy was a little pink porcupine, but into a stronger person, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And guess what? Todd has evolved in those categories as well. Closer to the end of the day he's showing me his 'secret lab' if you will in the basement.

"So this is a generator." He says as he points out large machine.

"Ooh. That's cool, what does it do?" I ask, even though I already know what it's for.

"It's made so a certain device or piece of equipment can run when the power is out. I began building this in case we lose power this week due to bad weather." He says sounding confident. I find his intellect pretty sexy sometimes.

"That's fascinating." I say. "Is that your greatest creation?"

"Well… it's not my favorite creation yet."

"Then what is?" He grins and opens a box containing two small metal poles.

"These things." He says in a humble voice. I'm a little confused though; they look just like two iron sticks.

"What makes these rods so fascinating?" His grin widens a little.

"These are my magnets. They're not done cooling yet, but when they are ready, they should have the strongest magnetic force physically possible." This is interesting.

"How do magnets work?" I ask.

"I'm glad you asked." I am to. Learning things from Todd is more satisfying than learning from Mrs. Jewls. "Every magnet is made of small domains and each domain has a pole, or a direction they point to either the North or South Pole. When a magnetic field energizes a magnet, all the domains point to the same direction and that empowers their magnetic force. The north poles create a positive charge and the south poles create a negative charge. And when the opposite force is near the area, the positives and negatives will pull together." I grab Todd and hug him closely.

"Like this?" He smiles and blushes.

"Yeah, a lot like that." He wraps his arm around my neck.

"Do they do this to?" I pull our faces together and kiss him on the lips, he eagerly participates. Then we stop.

"They do often have a strong reaction and I guess they're kind of similar." I giggle as cutely as possible. "Sometimes there's even an explosion involved during an atomic separation." I lower my eyelids a little.

"An explosion you say? Sounds kinky."

"Ha! That is sort kinky isn't it." He says as he puts the metal poles back into the box. "Anything else you want to see?" I shake my head.

"We're not in school anymore. I think that's enough learning for one day." He nods.

"Fair enough. Let's go back upstairs and spend some time together." I take his hand and we walk up together. When we get close to the top, I misstep on my rollerblades.

"Whoa!" I'm almost fall over before Todd catches my wrist and pulls me back to balance.

"Careful babe. Stairs aren't a particularly enjoyable object to slip on." He says looking concerned. I hug him.

"Okay dear." I say as I kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"No problem, it's my pleasure to keep you on your feet." I chuckle a couple of times. A couple minutes later I'm sitting down on his couch while he heads toward the kitchen.

"Well, I should probably get some supper started. Anything you want me to make?" I shrug.

"I don't know Todd. What are my options?"

"I've got some breaded chicken, or a frozen pizza, or if you just want a can of soup, I think that's easy to make." I lower my eyelids seductively.

"I trust you Todd, you won't disappoint me no matter what you make." He grins.

"Chicken it is." He says as he turns on the oven. Then he walks out and takes a seat beside me. "So Maurecia, it'll be about twenty five minutes before its ready. So we have a little social time right now." I immediately remember something.

"Oh, before we sit down we should probably check on Fluffy." He nods.

"That's probably not a bad idea. He's probably still in my room." We both get up and walk upstairs. When we open the door Fluffy isn't in sight.

"Fluffy?" I call out. There is no response.

"Is he good at hide and seek?" Todd asks.

"Regrettably. He's really good at it." I say.

"I've got this. Hey Fluffy, you want some peanut butter crackers?"

"Wait!" I intend to stop him before I see my seaweed colored pet leap out from behind Todd's bed. He stands at Todd's feet holding his tongue out.

"Are you hungry?" Todd asks as Fluffy nods. I lower my eyebrows.

"Fluffy, you know the rules." He glares at me then gives Todd a desperate look. I sigh and turn towards Todd. "He can't have peanut butter during winter." Fluffy growls at me. I know it's his favorite snack but he's often easily full after that and hibernation is a thing, a thing I really want to avoid. He turns back to Todd.

"I'm sorry Fluffy, but I'm not the one in charge here." He frowns. I pick him up gently.

"Awe, you think of Todd as your daddy now? That's cute!" I say as I hug him tightly. He whines rather audibly.

"Uh Maurecia, I think you should put him down." I face Todd.

"Why? Sometimes he needs a little love to help endure his winter." He shakes his head.

"I really don't think he wants that right now." Fluffy whines again but I squeeze him a little tighter to calm him down.

"Well I know how to comfort him and right now he-"

"Maurecia, please put him down!" Todd says assertively. I really didn't see that coming.

"Okay." I set Fluffy back on the floor.

"Thank you." Todd says. I look back down at Fluffy.

"But what am I doing wrong here?" Todd rolls his eyes and then picks Fluffy up and cradles him in his arms.

"Look at this little guy." He says as he strokes Fluffy's head. "He's a poor, tired, hungry, and desperate rodent. He's overwhelmed by the amount of attention you're giving him and he's feels the need for a break." He tickles the bottom of Fluffy's chin with his pointer finger. Fluffy purrs contently as he does. "Animals are a mystery Maurecia, and some of them are tough to understand. But if you look a little deeper, he's just another person." Fluffy looks up at Todd and cries a tear. "So maybe you should look at him a little more like another human being than just a pet." I sigh.

"Todd…" I can't even keep my head up while I say this. "I badly want you to understand why I'm doing this, but I don't think you will. Please understand that I'm giving Fluffy these restrictions for his own good." Todd sets him down. "I just don't want him to end up falling asleep because he's too passive during winter. He needs to remain awake until it's over." Fluffy looks back up at Todd.

"I see." He mumbles. Fluffy whines again. "But at a bare minimum, I think we owe him some alone time." I hold my arms up.

"But we've already been ignoring him for most of the day. What more does he want from us?" Todd and Fluffy make eye contact; I can tell they're both thinking the same thing.

"Well I'm sure he wants some peanut butter." Fluffy smiles and nods again. I only face palm.

"Todd, I already told him no." Fluffy stops and continues looking sad. "Please don't mention peanut butter again because it's off the table."

"Fine, let's at least give him some space." He puts his hand around my neck and faces the door.

"Why can't we take him with us?" I ask.

"He doesn't want us to do that." Todd walks me out and closes his room door. "Now would probably be a good time to get that chicken started." He steps into the kitchen while I sit down on the couch and withdraw my scrapbook. I look at some of the photos we've taken together. And not more than a minute later Todd joins me.

"Okay our food has started." I smile at him.

"Thank you sweetie. I admire how hard you work to manage the house while your parents are gone." He shrugs.

"It's pretty easy when you're an only child." I chuckle.

"Well I wouldn't know that with six brothers at my house." Todd laughs.

"I'd imagine you wouldn't. What is that like by the way?" He asks.

"Having six older siblings?" He nods. "It can be annoying sometimes. They often tease me for having a crush on you since the seventh grade."

"I suppose that makes sense. But can they really say anything about it? We're actually in a relationship now." I smile.

"I know, and I'm really proud of you for that. For the longest time Caleb told me I'd never succeed with you."

"Is Caleb the youngest brother?" Todd asks. I shake my head.

"Caleb and Elijah are twins and they're both only one year older than us. Eli told me I'd probably date you but not keep you for very long." Todd shrugs.

"So bottom line, your brothers doubted you." I nod.

"You know Jonas?"

"Is he the one who tried to tell me all your deepest secrets when we were at your house?" I nod timidly.

"Yeah, they never believed I'd get you as a boyfriend and now that I have they want to make me feel bad about it." He wraps his right arm around my neck.

"Who cares what they think? We're together now and there isn't a single thing they can do about it." My content smile reappears.

"Thank you Todd. I'm so glad you're involved in my life now." He snuggles a little closer.

"So am I." He says.

"It's a really good thing that you didn't leave Wayside."

"I agree." I glance at my scrapbook again, and then I turn back to Todd. "Todd, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." I clear my throat.

"If I hadn't ever punched you, would we have gotten together a lot sooner?" He shrugs.

"I don't really know. I was only twelve when we first met and it took me a while to get used to you." I roll my eyes.

"That's fair." I admit. "But would you have considered dating me at the time?" He shakes his head.

"I don't think so. We were only in seventh grade at the time and I didn't have any intentions on dating. Let alone from a school I just got to." I sigh.

"So, before you punched me there wasn't any hope of us ever being together?" I ask.

"I really don't know for sure." He responds. "But I do know even if you didn't ever punch me it'd take longer for us to get together."

"Why is that?"

"Well, it was all just a little pain here and there for me for a while until I knocked you out." He says in a rather ashamed tone. "As you could see, you didn't handle it well." I snuggle up much closer to him.

"It's okay Todd, I'm a tough girl." He giggles a couple of times.

"I know." He says as I kiss his right cheek.

"But I want to know one more thing."

"Alright shoot."

"Why were you suddenly very confident and accepting to be my boyfriend once I woke up?" He makes a seductive grin. I find this face pretty sexy sometimes.

"Well Maurecia, I actually didn't think we'd get together even after you woke up." That's a little surprising. "But like I said, I've always found you extremely cute myself." I blush at that. "But the way you came off at me every day was unattractive." I readjust.

"You mean when I punched you?" He nods.

"Yeah, that side of you actually intimidated me most of the time. You remember when we were at that campfire for the night and I didn't want to sit close to you?" I nod.

"I do."

"I knew you'd punch me again and later that night when I ended up hugging you, you did it again." I sigh.

"I know, that was a time I didn't think hurting you meant anything. I didn't treat you like someone who had feelings like everyone else." I look up at him apologetically. "I'm sorry." He smiles.

"And I forgive you. But here's my point, for the longest time, I imagined you as a sweet and gentle girl but you never made any attempt to make that vision easier for me." That's very true. "But when I saw you lying in that hospital bed, you looked so defenseless and I felt real ashamed it happened. But you woke up and I was happy to see you." I give a heartwarming smile.

"Awe, and then you realized you loved me after you endured my absence?" He shakes his head.

"Not at all. A small part of me had always loved you."

"Awe. I never really knew that." He winks.

"Me neither. But every time I wanted to hear my feelings admit that, you'd punch me and that feeling wouldn't come to me. But after you woke up, I told you to punch me. Remember that?"

"Of course I do."

"I expected you to shatter my shoulders and give me arthritis in the future. But guess what?"

"What?" I ask, he pauses for a second and then continues.

"You didn't hurt me. You lied down there for a second and then pulled me into a loving hug." I giggle a couple of times.

"You didn't see that coming did you?" He chuckles.

"No I didn't. And when you made that pure move, that part of me spoke out and I learned for sure that I loved you. The moment I knew you were capable of being gentle and sweet, was the moment I learned I could love you." We both look into each other's eyes.

"Oh Todd!" I hug him really tightly. "This is why I love you." He kisses the side of my head. "You're so forgiving, you always know what people are capable of, and you fight for them to help them be the best they can be. I've gotten so much more mature in the past year and it's because you've entered a deeper level within my life." Todd smiles.

"I'm so glad I could help Maurecia. Helping is something I'm always happy to do." I pull him in and we're face to face.

"That Todd, that is what I love most about you. You love to help everyone." We both blush in unison. "May I kiss you now?" Todd puts his hands on the sides of my head and pulls our lips together. We both close our eyes and I only focus on my sense of touch. I feel the pressure of my lips touching different areas inside Todd's mouth. I can also feel the pressure of him absorbing my oxygen as I absorb his. He's got some really strong gums, I tell the truth on that. Then I insert my tongue into his mouth. He doesn't even flinch, instead he moves his tongue around in my mouth as well. We sit there for a few good minutes making out like never before, before Todd pulls away.

"That, was, fun." He says while panting. I'm trying to regain my breath as well.

"I, know. I thought so, to." He stands up.

"I should probably check on the chicken." He walks out of the room. I stand up as well.

"I better go check on Fluffy." I get up and walk into Todd's room. Though I'm not proud when I see Fluffy is fast asleep in the middle of Todd's bed lying down beneath a small blanket.

"Fluffy, it's too early to sleep." I say. He doesn't move a muscle. "Fluffy, wake up please." I say a little louder. He still doesn't even turn my direction. I skate a little closer to him and I see he's completely asleep and immovable from where he is. I feel a quick panic run through my body.

"Fluffy! Wake up!" He rolls over lightly but doesn't open his eyes. Todd walks into the room.

"The chicken is done." He says, but when I turn around his expression changes. "Is something wrong?" He asks as I point at an out cold Fluffy.

"My porcupine is sound asleep and he won't wake up!" Todd instantly looks scared.

"Oh no! That's not good."

"What do we do?" I ask both pleading and desperately.

"I'll go look it up!" Todd runs out of the room quickly and runs to his laptop. I continue to tap Fluffy, applying more and more pressure each time.

"Fluffy! Wake up now!" To my surprise he opens his eyes. Though, I'm not fond of the very agitated look he gives me. "Thank god you're awake now." I say relieved. Suddenly he screeches louder than ever before.

"EEEYYYEAAH!" He screams very long and loudly. I place my index finger over his mouth to quiet him down.

"Shh, Fluffy quiet down." I say until something very unexpected happens. "OW!" I scream as Fluffy bites down on my finger. He is glaring at me and biting firmly. "Stop that this instant!" I shout in attempt to stop him, but he only bites harder, it feels like a bear trap is pinching my finger.

"OOOWWW!" I scream out audibly. I look at my enraged pet and I hear him growling slightly. Eventually the pain is too much for me. Tears begin flooding my face. "Fluffy." I choke out through my broken voice. "Why are you doing this?" My voice is very weak and I'm struggling to enunciate. Fortunately he opens his mouth and releases my now bleeding finger. I quickly press the fingers on my other hand against it but the pain is still very agonizing. I stare at Fluffy for a few seconds. He's still got an annoyed look on his face. He suddenly sighs and turns around. I hear my boyfriend return.

"What do you have?" I ask Todd. He pauses at the sight of his girlfriend in tears, then he shows me his computer.

"It says here that porcupines do not hibernate." I'm left speechless with a dumbfounded expression.

 **Author's Note: Well, there you are readers. I hope you enjoyed this story and I'll try to get the next one out a little faster than this time. Also, I wanted to thank anyone who have favorited, followed, and/or reviewed on either this story or New Standards. I really appreciate it :). Next chapter coming shortly, I promise.**


	4. The Consoling Counselor

The Consoling Counselor

 **Author's Note: Attention readers, it took me a while to get back into Fanfiction. But coming back and doing another story was definitely worth it for me. I appreciate anyone who've read up until this point. It means a lot to me. Enjoy :)**

Todd's POV

It's never a fun thing to see your girlfriend in so much pain. I quickly run to the bathroom and grab a band aid. Then I come back out to Maurecia. She's still crying and gripping her finger.

"Here you go." I say as she holds her right hand out and allows me to wrap the band aid over her wounded proximal phalange.

"Thanks cutie pie." She says, smiling at me but still crying. She then steps back toward my room. "Hey, I'm really sorry Fluffy." She says to the porcupine. Fluffy growls and slams the door. "Okay, I'll see you again later." She says trying to sound confident. "Is that alright?"

"EYYAH!" Fluffy screeches loudly through the closed door. Maurecia's tone lowers by a lot.

"Okay then. Have a nice night." She sniffles a couple of times. "I love you." Fluffy growls audibly as Maurecia revs downstairs and sits back on the couch. I follow her until I'm in the kitchen. I remove the chicken from the oven and place two of them on each plate. Then I turn the oven off and make my way back to the seat beside her. She's facing downward and her eyes are closed.

"Here you go honey." I say as I place the plate of chicken on her lap.

"Thanks Todd." She mumbles, not bothering to lift her head up. I begin eating my chicken and it's delicious.

"Mm! This is a good chicken!" I say as I cut myself another bite.

"I bet it is." She mumbles. My enthusiasm vanishes.

"So maybe you should try it?" I ask slowly.

"I'm not hungry." She says in a melancholy tone. I finally speak up.

"Hey." She looks up. "I really can't stand to see you like this." I say and she sighs. "What's on your mind?"

"Well." She sniffles. "I feel really ashamed right now." I raise an eyebrow.

"Why?" More tears make their way out of her eyes.

"I'm a horrible pet owner." She sets her plate on a table beside her armrest and continues bawling. I wrap my arm around her neck and her crying quiets a little.

"Don't cry Maurecia." I say as I kiss her left cheek. She sniffles and smiles at me.

"Thanks for trying to help me Todd." She then hugs me.

"It's what I do." I say while chuckling. "But why are you so sad?"

"Because I'm bad at taking care of pets." I chuckle once.

"Did I ever tell you about King Arthur?" Maurecia frowns.

"He was only a fish." I roll my eyes. "Fish don't last more than a year and a half unless you're lucky."

"Well, yeah but at least he died in peace." Her sad face comes back and she turns away from me.

"So did my hedgehog." Her hedgehog? She never mentioned owning any pets other than Fluffy.

"Your hedgehog?" I ask and she speaks up.

"Yeah, his name was Knuckles." I laugh a few times thinking about Sonic. "What's so funny about that?" She asks.

"Knuckles is an echidna." I say. She frowns.

"I didn't name him off of a game character." I stop laughing.

"Okay."

"I named him Knuckles because much like me, he had a tendency to make a fist and then punch people he liked." I guess that makes sense. "He was my best friend when I was young. I used to take him everywhere I went with me." This is a pretty fascinating story. "I'd bring him to the beach with me, or to a hotel labeled 'no pets', and even to our thirty story school."

"What happened to Knuckles?" I ask. She looks ready to cry again.

"Well…" She sniffles. "One cold winter day, I went outside to play and I left my window open." Her voice begins breaking. "I came back in about an hour later, and he was asleep." She stops talking and begins crying.

"What happened next?" I ask sympathetically.

"I waited until the day was over before I saw him still lying there in an unmoved position. I tapped him twice but he didn't wake up. So naturally I assumed he was just taking a long nap, but he was actually hibernating."

"That can't be good." I say.

"The next morning I woke up and he was still sleeping." She holds her hands in front of her eyes in attempt to keep her tears from coming. "So I picked him up and realized… he wasn't breathing!" She bursts into tears and sobs audibly. I wrap my arms around her back and hug her closely.

"There, there." I say quietly. "It's okay." She quiets down a little. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is." I pull her in and she cries on my right shoulder. "I should've taken better care of him at the time!"

"You didn't know hedgehogs hibernated. That wasn't your fault." She looks up at me.

"But it was irresponsible of me to avoid doing research." I raise an eyebrow.

"Did it ever occur to you to look up whether or not to look up porcupines and hibernation?" She frowns.

"Well Todd, if you haven't forgotten, unlike you, I lack common sense." I sigh. "Common sense is a blessing that not everyone was given." I frown somewhat annoyed.

"No Maurecia. A lot of people have common sense. Just not a lot of people at Wayside." She shrugs. "I think I know what your problem is."

"What?" She asks in a pleading voice.

"You rush your decisions." She looks confused. "Do you think sometimes you make choices before thinking them through?" I ask her.

"Well… I don't know." She responds. "I don't really like thinking things through."

"And why is that?" I ask as she pauses.

"Well Todd, I'm just one of those people who are always in a hurry." That does sound like her. "If I've got an event in a half hour I don't sit down and get comfortable, I stand by the door even if I need to wait for ten minutes." She's hitting the nail on the head. "Even if it's somewhere I don't want to go like the dentist, or a wrestling meet one of my brothers are in, but I'm too eager to get them over with that I can't focus on anything else." I sigh again.

"Have you ever thought things through before you made a choice?" She nods.

"Fluffy was a choice I made that I took careful consideration for."

"Interesting." I say. "Why'd you name a porcupine Fluffy instead of Pointy or Prickly?" I ask out of curiosity because I really never knew why she named him Fluffy.

"Because when I first got him he was a soft, pink, baby porcupine who never stopped smiling and never growled or shrieked at anyone." That's the opposite of the Fluffy I came to know.

"How'd he turn green?" She rolls her eyes.

"Do you remember when Dana told everyone about Mrs. Gorf?" I never remember that teacher's name.

"Is she the 'witch' teacher?" She nods.

"She's the one who turned everyone else into an apple, she failed to capture me though because I was too fast." This doesn't make sense to me. "Fluffy was hit by her beam and he became a pineapple, and that is when I drew the line." I'm beginning to believe this is all just a made up story I shouldn't believe. "And so I evolved, I evolved into the stronger, faster, and more intimidating badass you'd never imagine out of the old Maurecia."

"Maurecia, no offense. But I really don't believe in Mrs. Gorf." I say sounding unamused. She looks a little nervous.

"I'm not making her up Todd. She's a real person."

"I'm not doubting she's real, but I am doubting she could turn people into apples." I say.

"Well she turned Myron into a potato." She says giggling a couple of times. I frown.

"That's racist." I say and she immediately stops.

"So, I never looked back at the old Maurecia, and Fluffy never went back to being pink or even a soft creature." She looks into my eyes half smiling, half sorrowful. "And I don't want to lose him like I lost Knuckles. Every morning I'd take his vitals and then tell him what we were doing for the day." I sigh.

"But you did tighten the leash to a choking point on him didn't you? Or did you give him a little bit of freedom?" She sniffles.

"No Todd, I didn't." She sighs. "I acted as a total control freak and never once let him stand ten feet away from me, until we came to your house." I pat her shoulder a few times. "I was hoping since your house is unfamiliar territory to him, he'd take a much longer time getting comfortable here and I wouldn't need to worry about it. But he'll take any chance at a little privacy he can get and can get aggressive when I try to forbid it." I slide a little closer to her.

"It's okay Maurecia. This does show that you care about him." A few tears fall down her face.

"Yeah, I cared so much that I became oblivious to how desperate he became as an individual." She looks up at me again. "Am I the bad guy?" I pause for a second because I didn't expect her to ask that question.

"Well, I'm not really the one who you should ask that to, don't you think?" I say nervously.

"No Todd." She says. "Am I in the wrong here? If you say yes I won't feel any worse about myself than I already do." This hurts me a lot, not just as her boyfriend, but as a human being.

"From one person's point view you might be considered the antagonist." She sighs. "But overall you only did it because you were scared of the fact that you could lose him. And that alone is forgiving on its own." She pulls me into her and hugs my body. "I know what it's like to long for an absolution and never necessarily receive it." She raises an eyebrow.

"Pardon me for asking, what is an absolution?" It's not a very common word so it's fair that she wouldn't know.

"Basically it's a total relief of guilt. The holy bible is the only example I've seen because it says Jesus Christ died for our sins to be forgiven." She looks fascinated.

"That's pretty deep." She says.

"I know. But I've never felt the feeling of absolution myself after the incident I had with the kindergarteners or when I put you in a coma." She hugs me even tighter.

"Thank you for telling me that Todd. I really do love you a lot." I blush a bit.

"How much is a lot?" I ask.

"Infinitely and eternally." She says as she continues to hug me with her eyes closed. "I hold you so dearly within my heart that the space of the entire universe itself is only a fraction of said infinity."

"Wow." I'm pretty impressed. "That's a lot of love." She sniffles again.

"I know. And I hold Fluffy within that void to because sometimes he's the only one who understands my true feelings." My heart feels touched.

"He's pretty good at that." I say. "Did you know what happened last year while you were in the hospital?" She opens her eyes and faces me.

"No, I never really heard how that story went for anyone other than my family."

"Well I think it affected me a little more than any other human being." I think about what I'm saying. "Because for the longest time Fluffy couldn't stand me at all and it's because you were so attracted to me."

"I was totally oblivious." Maurecia says.

"I know you were for the time being. But the morning after you were injured and put in the hospital, we had a fight." She looks surprised.

"Really? You got into a fight?" I nod. "You never seemed like the kind of person who would fight with anyone, let alone a small animal."

"Well he'd already induced enough stress on me beforehand. But the fight wasn't the important thing because I won." She looks half scared and half sad.

"You didn't hurt him did you?" I shake my head.

"Not to my understanding, but the fact is, when the fight was over he showed me your scrapbook and I learned your true feelings." She chuckles.

"That's cute."

"I know. But after that I fed him some peanut butter crackers, which he loved, and then he and I became friends. It was a bigger surprise for me than anything else. The fact that such a hateful creature showed some maturity." She gets a cutely fascinated look on her face.

"Awe! This is the cutest story ever!" She exclaims.

"I know." I continue. "But he spent the rest of the day making plans to help me out and succeeded at the end of the day."

"That's nice." She says.

"But that's not the best part. The thing that matters is that he's really forgiving and he has the capacity to change his behavior." She smiles at me. "Do you want me to talk to him?" She nods.

"That'd be very sweet of you." She says. "This Todd is why I love you. You always want to help others." I nod.

"Then it's settled." I get up and head for the stairs. "In the meantime I'd like you to eat your chicken." She giggles.

"Whatever you say 'counselor'." She winked at me during the word; counselor. I never really did think of myself that way, but perhaps she looks at it as, a behavior modification thing. I walk up to my room and knock on the door. I hear Fluffy hiss on the other side.

"Fluffy, it's Todd." He quiets down. "May I please come in?" I ask.

"Mm hm." He hums in agreement. I open the door and enter the room.

"Hey pal, what's up?" I greet him as I close the door behind me. He faces me and mouths out his sentence.

" _I'm doing fine."_ He says. I've learned how to read his lips so we can communicate successfully.

"Are you still mad at Maurecia?" I ask. He looks down in a tone of sorrow.

" _Kind of."_ He sighs. _"Though I do feel a little guilty for hurting her so much."_ I'm glad he's being reasonable about this.

"Well Maurecia feels really ashamed right now and she doesn't blame you for any of it." Fluffy turns his head a little.

" _Is that so?"_ I nod.

"Yes, she said she had a hedgehog that died in hibernation and she wanted to avoid making the same mistake with you." I say. He makes eye contact with me.

" _Todd, did you know that porcupines don't hibernate?"_ I nod.

"I discovered that at the last minute."

" _Fair enough."_ He mouths.

"But can you agree that even with her restrictions, you came off as a little harsh?" He makes a 'so and so' gesture with his hands.

" _Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."_ I face palm.

"You bit her finger until it bled." He faces downward. "I understand you were grouchy about this situation and wanted to sleep undisturbed. But that really doesn't make you less guilty for biting her the way you did." He closes his eyes.

" _Todd."_ He starts to say. _"Are you aware that I was very comfortable here and I was enjoying a relaxing nap before she woke me up?"_ I nod.

"I agree with that." He continues.

" _I thought coming here would give Maurecia more time with you and less time with me. And even though I used to worry that you'd completely take her away from me, she took the supervision part a little too far."_ Sometimes it's tough to see Fluffy being so sensitive. Sometimes I even forget he's a porcupine.

"Did you ever hear about Knuckles?" He nods. "She didn't want you to go the same route he did." He turns his head to the left a little. "So you do see her motives were pure even if she didn't do something simple such as looking this thing up online." Fluffy turns towards me and sighs.

" _Todd, I love Maurecia with all my heart, I really do. But sometimes I worry she'll make the same mistake with you in the future."_ I don't really get that part.

"What mistake? I'm a human and humans never hibernate." He shakes his head.

" _I mean, do you ever worry she'll treat you the same way she treats me?"_ I pause and straighten my posture. _"Do you ever stop to realize that once you two are adults, she may never stand more than ten feet away from you your entire life?"_ That honestly sounds pretty ridiculous.

"I'm not sure." I say. "But as sad as it is for me to say, your life won't last anywhere near as long as ours unless we're really sick or injured, or unless an elixir of life is found." He looks down.

" _I'm well aware of my seemingly inevitable early death."_ He mouths. _"But what about the life I currently am living? I want to enjoy it the same way you do. I want to spend time with Maurecia but I don't want her to act as a helicopter parent."_ That's fair.

"I understand. But is hibernation really a set off to your relationship?" I ask. He sighs, pauses for a few seconds, then continues.

" _Todd, hibernation isn't lethal to my health at all, but sleep is still a pretty critical thing to my species."_ I'm afraid I know where he's going with this. _"In winter, a porcupine needs more sleep than usual for successful satisfaction. We still wake up each morning but preferably at a later time."_ That is exactly what I thought he'd say.

"I had no knowledge of that and I'm sure Maurecia didn't either." He nods.

" _I imagine she'd have no clue."_ He mouths. I sit next to him and stroke his back very gently. When he's not angry his quills aren't an issue.

"Fluffy, Maurecia loves both of us equally. You know that right?" He nods. "Good, but you can imagine life can be tough for someone living in a home with six brothers for most of their life, almost dying, almost driving away someone they care about so dearly." He looks up at me.

" _I see."_ I move on.

"I had some serious plans on returning to my old school that week but then you became a critical factor." I pick him up and hold him in front of my face. "I guarantee if you weren't there at the time I would've left Wayside." He looks surprised.

" _Really Todd?"_ I nod.

"Yes Fluffy. I would've let the guilt of hurting Maurecia overtake my decision and leave because I couldn't get respect out of my teacher or my classmates. But you Fluffy, you guided me through a path to meeting all of my standards I wanted completed before the week was over." He smiles.

" _I didn't know that."_ He says.

"Well I did. Even after all those times you shrieked at me, you forgave me even after learning I injured Maurecia. Why is that?" I ask.

" _Because you're a loving person Todd."_ I'm touched. _"You proved that you don't care how poorly someone treats you, you're always willing to forgive them."_ Is this actually true? _"You even told me you wanted to be my friend and that's something I'm never going to forget. You're a good person Todd, and I'm certain that if you and Maurecia somehow get married in the future, you'll lead her through a wonderful life."_ I feel a joyful tear fall down my face.

"Wow Fluffy. I never knew you thought that of me." He shrugs innocently.

" _Guilty as charged."_ He responds. I hug him gently.

"Thank you." I say as he hugs my chest lightly. "Do you want to go make things right with Maurecia?" I ask. He nods lightly.

" _Yes please."_ I set him on my shoulder and step back out of the room. When I make it back, Maurecia has an empty plate on the table next to her and is writing in her diary.

"Hey babe." I call out. She looks up, gasps happily, and smiles widely upon seeing Fluffy on my shoulder. "Someone has something to tell you." Fluffy jumps into her lap and hugs her stomach.

"Oh sweetie, come here!" She hugs him back. Seeing them both so happy is introducing a rare level of proudness I don't normally see. It really is beautiful watching them make amends.

"That's much better." I say. Maurecia speaks up.

"Oh Fluffy, I'm really sorry for being such a pain this winter, I didn't know how much sleep meant to you." She then looks back at me. Fluffy turns around concerning as well.

"Face him while he talks." I say. Maurecia looks confused for a second but faces him anyways.

" _I forgive you."_ He says relaying the message the best he can. Maurecia looks marveled by this all of a sudden.

"Did you just say 'I forgive you,' to me?" She asks and he nods.

" _Yes I did."_ He responds. Her entire face lights up then she looks back up at me.

"Is that how you boys communicate?" She asks and we both nod.

"Yes it is." I say. "Ludwig Von Beethoven was deaf, but whenever someone would speak to him he'd face them so he could make out what they said. It's a little skill I got used to myself." Fluffy responds.

" _It's true."_ Maurecia looks so happy.

"Well Fluffy, that's going to definitely change how we communicate moving forward. But that's okay." He smiles at her lovingly. "I promise from now on you can sleep whenever you want to."

" _And I'm sorry I bit you."_ Fluffy says apologetically. _"I just need some extra sleep time in the winter to maintain proper health and solid stamina."_ Maurecia begins stroking his back very gently.

"Okay Fluffy. You deserve it." They make eye contact again.

" _I love you."_ Fluffy mouths. Maurecia and him shed tears at the same time.

"I love you to Fluffy!" She playfully grabs him and pulls him close to her for a large hug. "You're the best porcupine any girl could ever ask for." Fluffy licks her on the cheek and she giggles a little. "That tickles!" She exclaims as Fluffy continues licking her cheek repeatedly and she laughs audibly. After a couple of minutes they stop, regain their breath, and look into each other's eyes. "Thank you for forgiving me." Fluffy winks.

" _It's the least I could do. Especially after all you've done for me."_ He responds as they hug again with their eyes closed. For about twenty seconds neither of them move or speak. I finally speak up.

"It's nice to see you two back together as a family again." They both open their eyes and face me. "Back to one; proud, happy, loving, close family." I say happily. I'm getting pretty good at this 'counselor' thing. They both turn back to each other for a brief second, smile in unison, then look back up at me.

"You know Todd?" Maurecia begins. "This family isn't quite complete yet." I blush deeply because I know where this is going.

" _Yeah Todd."_ Fluffy agrees. _"There's someone missing here."_ I step forward.

"That's too bad." I say sarcastically. "How will we ever fill this void?" Maurecia raises an eyebrow.

"I think I know how." I just concede at this point.

"Me to!" I exclaim as I join their hug. Maurecia gives out a loving hum as Fluffy purrs contently. I feel closer to them than ever before and it's a pretty satisfying thing to know Fluffy looks at me like a daddy or something. They're both very adorable and seeing them both so happy is something I'm so proud of.

A couple minutes later, I finish eating, Fluffy eats half a peanut butter sandwich, Maurecia openly washed our dishes for us even though I insisted otherwise. I feel like I've done a great job managing this relationship. After another fifteen minutes, Fluffy is lying sound asleep in a small bed I set up for him. He's finally getting a well-deserved rest. Maurecia changed into her pajamas and gets into my bed.

"Care to join me?" She asks sounding rather seductive. I put on my own pajamas and lay next to her.

"Of course." She hugs me again.

"I love you Todd." She says as she kisses my right cheek.

"I love you to Maurecia." I say. She giggles at me.

"I know." She turns to the side and turns off the lamp. I still have one more question.

"Hey Maurecia."

"Yes Todd?"

"I have to ask, what brought you to calling me your 'counselor'?" She sighs happily.

"A counselor's job is to give advice when needed or console someone who's down while looking equally into both perspectives. When talking to me, you used Fluffy's point of view. And when you spoke to Fluffy, you used mine. Things like that are what bring people back together, and you did a great job with that Todd. Every time you do something like this, the capacity I have for love only increases." I chuckle and respond.

"I thought you said love was infinite?" She chuckles a few times.

"It is Todd, I love you infinitely. But it's the things that you do and the things that make you who you are that give me an understanding of how much I love you. It's to the point where infinite has reached a new level." I don't know how she's so good at saying romantic things.

"Wow Maurecia. I love you to." I say as I wrap my arms around her.

"I'm glad to hear that." She says. "Good night."

"Good night." We peacefully exit our conscience for a brief time into the feeling of harmony within our dreams. This is the most pleasant sleep I've ever had.

 **Author's Note: And done with that one, finally! This chapter took a little longer than I predicted but I'm glad I could get through it. Stay tuned for more. Goodnight. :)**


	5. Nurse Maurecia

Nurse Maurecia

 **Author's Note: Attention Readers, the dramatic portion of the story is over. From this point on it'll be less about sympathizing for the characters and a little more on romance and bringing them together as close as possible. Will I do a good job at that? You get to be the judge of that. But let's get into it.**

Tuesday

Maurecia's POV

It was a very comfortable and cozy night. Todd and I have never actually spent a night together in the past, yet that was only one night. I shouldn't have to go home today either. I'll have a whole another day at least to be with the boy I love.

I wake up next to Todd and my arms are still completely around his body. I notice he feels kind of warm but that could just be because we've been hugging all night. Frankly my body feels kind of hot myself. Maybe because we were being over bundled for eight hours? Seeing Todd only a couple inches from my face is kind of arousing. He's actually pretty damn cute while he's asleep and it's not hard to see. I don't want to wake him up but it's too tempting! I lean forward and kiss him on the nose. He immediately rolls over. I guess that's his way of getting comfortable but now he's facing away from me. The temptation is still afoot. I wrap my arms around him one more time and I squeeze him really hard. He wakes up rather quickly but he doesn't react the way I expected him to.

"Ach!" He coughs. "Auha, auc, oke." Todd begins coughing uncontrollably. I gasp as he punches himself on the chest and the coughing stops.

"Are you okay sweetie?" I ask him. He faces me with what looks like a drowsy face.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He says in a weaker voice than usual. "You must've just squeezed me a little too hard." I smile casually.

"Oh, well that's a relief." I say before he reacts.

"Achoo!" Todd sneezes into his arm. I know something isn't right.

"Todd, do you feel well?" I ask concerned. He nods.

"I think so, just a little stuffed up and tired." He sits upward. I stand up, place my right hand on his forehead and he feels really warm.

"Todd, I think you're sick." I tell him, he looks up at me.

"How is that possible?" He asks. "I washed my hands, my face, and I have a naturally strong immune system. I don't randomly pick up a sickness on my own." I face palm.

"Oh dammit!" I shout. Todd stares at me.

"What did you do?" He asks. I speak up.

"I forgot to tell you that two of my brothers had the flu this weekend." He yawns. "A few days ago Jonas got sick and my mom spent the entire day taking care of him before leaving for the night shift. When we thought it was over, Eli and Caleb got the ailment." He sighs. "I hid in my room so I couldn't catch the sickness but it looks like I brought it with me."

"That's okay." Todd says under a pressured voice. "It wasn't your fault." I disagree.

"I should've showered before I came here!" I say in a panicky tone. "I didn't get sick myself but I didn't think I could bring the ailment here!" Todd grabs and squeezes my left shoulder to calm me down.

"Maurecia, it's okay. This kind of thing happens all the time." Even when he's under the weather, Todd always sounds so wise. "You were a carrier who had germs on you, but not in your system. Sicknesses often spread through the air." He says.

"But if the germs weren't in this house or inside me, how'd you catch the sickness?" His eyes face behind him for a second then he looks back at me.

"Perhaps the germs were on your face and I kissed you multiple times. Or maybe they didn't infect your system, but they were hiding under your breath." That makes sense. "We do breathe in the same environment."

"I guess." I look down. "I just feel kinda sad that I made you sick." I say nervously. Todd coughs and then smiles.

"That's okay Maurecia. I'm a tough boy, enduring this won't be difficult for me." He says. "But considering I've now caught this ailment, I think you should go home." I flinch and stare at him.

"Why Todd? You don't want to spend the rest of the week with me?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"I don't think we'll have any fun if I'm sick, because right now my muscles are kinda sore, my throat is a little sore, breathing is a little harder, and I have a bit of a headache." I cuddle up to him and squeeze him gently.

"Awe, poor baby." I whisper as I massage his shoulders. "Would a kiss make it better?" I say flirtatiously and move closer to his cheek. He quickly holds his hand up and blocks my lips.

"Maurecia, no kissing today please. I don't want to make you sick." He says before coughing a couple more times. I feel pretty sorry for him. "I think you should go home before you get catch my sickness anyways." He lays back on his bed and stretches his arms.

"What happens in the future?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" He responds.

"What happens when we're living in the same house?" He frowns rather fast. "Where am I going to go then?"

"Maurecia, usually I'm okay with you planning a future where we're together, but you're not even fifteen yet. We're two freshmen in high school who haven't even made any critical life decisions yet such as; where we'll live, what jobs we'll have, whether or not we'll have kids, or even if we get married to each other." He says before he sneezes again.

"Well Todd, I have made plans for our future together." He looks a little frustrated.

"That's another thing, you want us to get married and spend our lives together but you're only looking too far ahead." I sigh. "This is another example of you rushing a decision. What if we break up?" I immediately stare at him nervously.

"You'd actually break up with me?" I ask. He rolls his eyes.

"Not now, but what if something changes our lives and we end up growing apart? What if Dana's brother Goon shows up at our junior prom and you abandon me?" I'm honestly a little surprised and offended he thinks that.

"Todd, for a while I thought Goon was super handsome. But he's about eight years older than me, and he's not as much of a hard worker as you are." Todd shrugs.

"How do we know? He spent a long time perfecting a paper for Mrs. Jewls before he turned it in."

"My heart doesn't belong to Goon. It belongs to you." He sighs.

"That could easily change sometime in the next four years, or if we don't go to the same college, or if I grind and complete college at the same speed I completed the rest of the homework assignments the rest of Wayside has yet to complete." He begins coughing again a little louder and more frequently than before. "Ow." He mumbles after the coughing stops. He lies down and gets under the covers. I sit next to him. "I'm sorry for being dramatic, I'm just not feeling like myself today."

"Todd, I know right now a life with both of us living together is farfetched. But that's why I want to strengthen our bond. I wanted to spend this Christmas break with you because you're family to me." He turns on his back and looks up at me.

"I am?" I nod.

"Mm hm. I'm not sure if you think the same of me, but I know you'll make the perfect husband. And right now, I don't want to risk losing you to someone else. The best way of avoiding that is by spending time together." He smiles. "Do you love me Todd? Or do you just say you do?"

"I do love you. Once you're sure you love someone, their soul rests within your heart eternally. But the strength within that love can be minimized or overpowered by love for someone else." I speak up.

"I already told you, my love for you is infinite. It will never subside for as long as either of us are alive." I smile down on him. "But sometimes I do worry that you're becoming too independent. Sometimes I worry that you won't need me in the future and someone else may have something that I don't that puts her above me." He looks confused.

"Why do you think that?" He asks.

"Sometimes I'm worried you'll leave me for a far more reliable girl who's smarter and a harder worker."

"Oh." He responds. I look back to him.

"But now you're sick and tired instead of up and ready today." We make eye contact and I give him puppy eyes. "Will you let me take care of you?" Todd readjusts his position.

"Like, my nurse?" I nod. "You want to take care of me?"

"Of course Todd. My mom is a physician who works in a hospital every night. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree." He raises an eyebrow.

"Funny you say that after all the times you hurt me last year." We both chuckle. "But you might be onto something." He pauses for a second. "Okay you can." I smile.

"Thanks cutie pie." I pat his cheek a couple of times. "Let's get started." I stand up and put on my skates. I know they'll help me get around his house much quicker. I then tap Fluffy a couple of times. "Hey Fluffy." He opens his eyes lightly. "Todd's sick. Do you want to help me take care of him?" He yawns.

" _Not now."_ He mouths out before rewrapping himself into a blanket. I shrug.

"Easy come, easy go." I skate out of the bedroom and make my way towards the bathroom. I open each drawer looking for a thermometer but I don't find it. I skate back into Todd's room.

"What happened?" He asks.

"Do you guys not own a thermometer?"

"It's on a shelf in a small closet next to the bathroom."

"Okay, thanks sweetie." I say as I rev out of the room and to the closet. I reach for the top box where I spot some cough medicine, some aspirins and claritins, a battery operated thermometer, and some Vaseline and lotions. But before I begin I might as well look professional. Professionals don't wear their pajamas on duty.

I make my way to the bottom of the stairs and take off my skates and helmet then my sleepwear. I put on another pinkish long-sleeved shirt and a pair of sweatpants. I also spot that stethoscope I brought with me. I didn't think I'd need to use it again but now it could come in handy. I place it around my neck and redress my skates and helmet. Then I roll back up to Todd's room.

"Okay I'm back!" I say cheerfully as I enter the room. Fluffy wakes up pretty quickly and frowns at me. "Oops. Sorry I disturbed you Fluffy." Fluffy yawns, stands up, and stretches. "Do you want to help Todd now that you're up?"

" _Okay."_ He shrugs then jumps onto Todd's bed. Todd looks up at me.

"You changed?" He asks in a tired voice.

"Well duh, you ever saw a nurse wear their sleepwear? It's unprofessional." He chuckles and then coughs again. "You need to stop coughing." I say as I pick up a small spoon and pour some Robitussin cough syrup into it. Todd shivers a little. "What's wrong?"

"That stuff has a horrible aftertaste." He says weakly. I roll my eyes.

"I thought I saw you eat Mrs. Mush's mushroom surprise and that uncooked expired bologna." He gags and catches his mouth with his fist and swallows before he pukes. "Please try not to throw up." I say and he nods.

"Okay Maurecia." He opens his mouth and I feed him the liquid. He gulps a couple of times before successfully swallowing the medicine. I pat his chest a couple of times.

"Just be strong and keep that down." I set the spoon back in the box and withdraw the thermometer. "Now say 'ah'." Todd grabs my wrist lightly and takes the thermometer.

"This is an ear thermometer." He says.

"Actually it's a multi-functional thermometer." I say. Todd rolls his eyes.

"It's more painful to clean it if used orally." He states as he places the thermometer in his ear. About twenty seconds later it beeps and he removes it and hands it to me. I read the number.

"One hundred and three point four." I place it back into the box. "That's a little high." Fluffy reaches into the box and withdraws the jar of aspirins. "Would you like an aspirin for your headache?" I ask.

"Yes please." He says as I unscrew the top and pour one into my hand.

"Here you go." I drop it into his hand and he swallows it. "Feel better now?"

"Not quite, an aspirin takes a while to take effect." I nod and adjust my stethoscope into my ears; I take my helmet off to make it easier to fit the nubs into my ears. "I have to ask. Where'd you get a stethoscope?" I roll my eyes.

"If you have a parent in the medical field, whenever they get better quality equipment, they tend to give you their old ones. I used this on Fluffy every morning to ensure his vitals were normal."

"That makes sense." Todd says.

"Just know." I wink at him. "I've wanted to hear you heart for a long time." He chuckles as I place the chest piece on the left side of his skin. I close my eyes and concentrate only on my sense of sound. After all this time I can finally hear Todd's very source of living. His heartbeat is so fast, so clear, and so loud. But why is the frequency so elevated? I'm cut off by Todd coughing a couple of times.

"Sorry." He says upon regaining his breath.

"It's fine." I assure him as I take the instrument out of my ears. "Your heart is just a little faster than I predicted it would be." Todd chuckles.

"My heart's never any slower while you're around me." I smile. "But that's just a signal that my body is fighting the germs to the best of its ability."

"Well I wish your body good luck with that. If I could punch the life out of those germ cells I'd do it. I wouldn't let them touch my precious Todd." Todd and I both laugh at that sentence. Then I pop a Claritin pill out of its wrapping. "Here, have one of these. It'll clear the flem out of your nasal system and ease your breathing." Todd swallows the pill.

"Thank you very much." He says. Fluffy hops onto my shoulder.

"Well, is there anything else you need from us for now?"

"I could use a glass of water." He says and I skate towards the door.

"Coming right up cutie pie." I rev into the kitchen and fill a glass of water pretty full. I almost spill it on the way back. But I manage to keep every drop in the glass contained. I roll back into Todd's room and hand him the glass. "Here you go." He takes the glass.

"Thanks Maurecia." He says before taking a large sip of the water. "Very refreshing." I giggle at that. He then sets it on the ground next to his bed. I immediately pick it up.

"Would you like a refill?" He nods.

"Yes please." He says as I eagerly leave the room. A minute later I've returned with a full glass of water and Todd takes another sip. "Thank you very much." He's so polite sometimes.

"No problem sweetheart." I respond. "Is there anything I can do for you now?"

"Hm." He pauses for a second. "I don't believe so. I don't have any chores I forgot to do myself." I sit on his bed and an idea comes to my mind.

"Take off your shirt please." Todd's smile goes away for a second, then he blushes deeply.

"What for?" He asks. Fluffy winks at him and withdraws a bottle of lotion from the box.

"I just thought you'd like a nice massage on your sore muscles." I say in a sorrowful innocent voice as I begin rubbing the lotion on my hands. Todd can't resist that tone I use.

"You're too sweet." He says as he removes his shirt and lays on his back. I finish moisturizing and grip his shoulders gently. I begin pressing my thumbs against his skin and slowly rotate them in circles opposite of each other. He moans contently a couple of times.

"Does that feel nice?" I ask.

"It sure does." He says in a content drowsy voice. I move on and gently rub his chest. I notice he has a couple small chest hairs growing for him. I continue to focus my attention on his abs that look to be in real good shape for a guy of his body size. Touching his bare skin is actually kind of a turn on. But I put my romantic intentions aside and remain professional.

I can't help but remember the time I was in the hospital and Todd was there for me when I woke up. It feels the exact same way right now only, this time Todd's the one in bed. But it's still an adorable thought either way. After about two minutes he puts his hand on my shoulder and I stop.

"You're pretty good at this you know?" He says with a seductive grin.

"Thank you cutie pie." Todd flips over on his stomach. "Do you want me to massage your back now?" He opens his eyes and winks at me.

"If you want to." I'm delighted. I slowly apply pressure to his back. My pointer finger still hurts slightly from Fluffy biting me, but I ignore it to the best of my ability. I slowly press my fingers on his scapular muscles and separate them in an inverted pinching kind of way. My two fingers are together and I slowly move them apart over his skin. Todd can't help but moan in a very relaxed tone. After that I use my palms a little more and stroke his back from the top to bottom. Todd looks kind of sleepy, but he's so cute! After a few more minutes of me pushing into his muscles he yawns and sits up.

"Do you want me to stop now or-" I'm cut off by Todd hugging me very warmly. I blush a little and then hug him back.

"That felt so amazing. You'd make a good masseuse." I giggle.

"I'm glad you think so." I say as I continue to massage his neck. After he's done hugging me he lays back down on his back. "Is there anything else you need?" He smiles.

"I need a nice long nap." He says sounding very relaxed. "As for you, you've been a great nurse for me today." He just made my day. "If I'm ever sick or hurt, I'll make sure I'm with you Maurecia." He's really tugging my heartstrings right now.

"Awe, you're too kind." Then I regain my concerned conscience. "But is there anything I can do for you while you're asleep?" I ask. He opens his eyes and shrugs a little.

"Well, there's one task you could do if you wanted." I grimace eagerly.

"Whatever you need, I'm here for you." I say.

"Could you go downstairs and check on my magnets." My smile vanishes. I'm not familiar with those.

"Well, okay. But how do I check a magnet?"

"I need you to take them out of the box and connect them to a magnetic monitor. If the frequencies are high then the magnetic force is strong." I guess I could do that.

"Okay, but where did you put them?" I ask.

"They're next to an electron ran generator I've been building." I raise an eyebrow.

"I thought generators ran on fossil fuels." He chuckles.

"I'm inventing one that can run purely on battery power. That way if the power ever goes out we won't have to worry about an endothermic freezing of a fuel now will we?"

"I guess not." I respond. "Okay then it's settled. Let's go Fluffy." I pick him up and begin skating towards the door. Todd catches my attention.

"Wait Maurecia, one more thing!" I turn around.

"What?"

"Please take your skates off on the basement stairs. I won't be there to catch you this time." I giggle.

"You're still my hero for doing that you know?" He nods.

"But I am serious." I smile and remove my skates. Then I walk out of the room.

In the basement there is a large furnace, a washing machine and dryer, and a few other basic common household items. I spot the box and remove the two shiny pieces of metal, holding them opposite of each other to avoid causing them to attract.

"Well Fluffy, what do you think of these little things?" Fluffy has a fascinated look on his face.

" _I don't know."_ He mouths.

"Me neither, sometimes I wish I had Todd's level of intellect." We both chuckle before I drop one of them on accident. The magnet bounces of a table and sticks to the generator Todd told me about.

" _Ooh."_ Fluffy says. I laugh a few times.

"That's magnetism for you." I place the other magnet back into the box and bend downward to the generator. "Okay, let's put this one back." I say as Fluffy jumps onto the generator and attempts to remove the magnet. He groans kind of painfully, failing to make any progress.

" _It's stuck!"_ He says with a scared look. I put my hand on the magnet.

"Come on, how bad can it be?" I say as I pull on the metal object, but it doesn't move. "Wow." I begin pulling harder and harder and use both hands. "You weren't kidding about that were you?" Fluffy shakes his head as my fingers slip and I fall on my back. "Ow." I say softly. Fluffy jumps onto my stomach.

" _Are you okay?"_ He asks.

"I'm fine." I say to reassure him. "But that magnet doesn't want to budge."

" _What do we do?"_ I roll my eyes at Fluffy.

"We'll just leave it for a while. Eventually its magnetic force will weaken as it's stuck together for a long time. We'll just take it off tomorrow morning before Todd finds out." I close the box containing one magnet, pick Fluffy up, and walk back upstairs. As soon as he feels better, I've got a lot of romantic fun waiting for him.

 **Author's Note: Well that's the end of that chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much, if not more than the other chapter's I've written previously. I myself had a lot of fun writing this one. Next chapter coming soon. Goodnight.**


	6. Love Sickness

Love Sickness

 **Author's Note: Attention readers, I hope you like where this story is going. I'm trying to get back into the habit of writing on a daily basis but my semester finals have been holding me back! Now that they're done I'm going to try to step up on my writing. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be finished with this story. Now it's time to switch characters. Hope you enjoy.**

Todd's POV

I had a nice long nap that actually pushed me through most of the day. When I wake up it's already dark outside. I slowly arise from the bed and notice my muscles aren't anywhere near as sore as they were this morning. I reach out for my thermometer and set it in my ear for a few seconds. As soon as it beeps I flip my lamp on and read it.

"One hundred point six." I read aloud realizing my throat isn't sore anymore either. That also means my fever is gone and I can finally resume my time with Maurecia. I never actually put my shirt back on after Maurecia gave me that message so I really don't know if I need one today. I step out of my room and make my way into the kitchen, I immediately realize something smells delicious, yet unfamiliar. That must mean my nose isn't stuffed up anymore either. I see Maurecia facing a large pot.

"Hey babe, what are you up to?" I ask, she turns around so fast we make eye contact before I finish my sentence.

"Todd! You're finally awake! I was getting lonely." Fluffy crosses his arms at her. "I mean Fluffy gets to see me every day and night, he's not my boyfriend." Fluffy sighs.

"Okay, you missed me but did you check on my magnets?" She flinches for a split second then responds.

"Well… yes I did." I'm wondering why she paused.

"And are they done cooling?" She shrugs.

"How would I know that?" She asks. "I'm not super familiar with magnets you know?" I nod.

"Well I guess I'll need to teach you a little more about magnetism," I say. "But did you test them?" She looks to the side for a second. I get the feeling she's seen something or just doesn't want to reveal a hidden truth.

"I assure you the magnetic force within them is beyond powerful, especially compared to most magnets." I'm wondering for sure what she means.

"Well then, why don't we go downstairs and check them out?" I ask before Maurecia skates towards me.

"Whoa! Not yet." I raise an eyebrow.

"Why not?" I ask starting to lose a little trust for her. She lifts me up lightly and skates into the living room and sets me down on the couch. Sometimes her strength scares me.

"You might still be sick." I think she's trying to distract me.

"I feel fine Maurecia. I'm not sick anymore." She lowers her eyebrows cutely.

"I'll be the judge of that." I'm having very mixed emotions right now. Part of me is love-struck as when I first got together with Maurecia, another part of me feels the same way as I did when the Wayside kindergarteners considered me their king.

"Maurecia what are you doing right-" She puts her pointer finger to my mouth.

"Un uh. I'll ask the questions." Need I remind her why Fluffy bit her last night? "How's your head?" I shrug.

"My head?"

"Is your headache gone now?" I smile and nod.

"Yes, it is," I respond. "Are my magnets in their pos-"

"Are your muscles still sore?" She interrupts. I shake my head. "Then would you like another massage?"

"My muscles are fine thank you. But are my mag-"

"Then why aren't you wearing a shirt?" I pause for a second.

"I know you like the look of my body." She giggles.

"Of course Todd, I adore your skinny abs and orange chest hairs." She wraps her left arm around my neck. "I find them sexy." She sounds real seductive at the end. I blush at that.

"You do?" I ask shyly.

"I love everything you have to offer as a human being. It's all mine!" And I once thought I was in charge of our relationship.

"Right…" I say lightly under a little pressure. I'm losing my train of thought and beginning to forget what I was asking her. "Maurecia, I'm not sick anymore. I promise." She withdraws her stethoscope and winks at me.

"Are you sure about that?" She asks very seductively. I make a firm face.

"Yeah Maurecia, I am healthy," I say firmly. Her loving smile turns into her desperate face. "Well…" She slowly smiles. "No, I'm not completely sure." I concede as she inserts the stethoscope into her ears.

"Thank you." She holds the chest piece up. "May I?" I smile.

"You may." She quickly places it on the left side of my chest. I watch her as she sits there with a very fascinated look on her face. I can tell she likes what she hears.

"Wow Todd, you must be very excited right now." I chuckle.

"I'm always excited when you're around," I say. "What do you think?" She looks up at me with adorable eyes.

"I think you have a very powerful heartbeat, much steadier now than it was before."

"That's nice," I say. Maurecia sits there for a couple of minutes, listening to my heart and eventually I tap her shoulder. "Are you done now?" She retracts the chest piece.

"Sorry, I forgot what I was doing." She removes the nubs from her ears. "Your heart is just very precious to me." I'm a little confused.

"Why is my heart such a critical thing to you?" She gets a little closer to my face.

"Because Todd, it's the very thing that keeps you living." I open my eyes a little more. "Listening to it reminds me that, not only are you alive, but you're here with me. Every single time it beats it reminds me of your presence. And furthermore, it's the source of your love." Wow, this is very deep.

"My love?" I ask dumbfounded.

"Mm-hm. It's the centerpiece to every vein in your body and the center of your emotions."

"That's a really marvelous thing," I say.

"I know." I'm sitting there for a second trying to remember what I was asking her, before she says something that throws me off. "Your turn." I flinch as Maurecia slowly places the earpieces into my ears. Not more than a second later she holds the end to her own heart and I'm hit by the sound of her heartbeat. I immediately lose all my thoughts I originally had. She takes my hand and holds it to the chestpiece before letting go, allowing me to hold it to her heart.

"Wow." I manage to mumble through the hypnotizing harmony of my girlfriend's life. She and I are both blushing deeply. I've never heard anyone's heartbeat before, including my own. I close my eyes to concentrate, and I feel her heart vibrating beneath my hand.

"What do you think? How does it sound?" Maurecia asks. Her heart is beating so loud and so fast I can hardly keep up with it. But wasn't that to be expected?

"It sounds beautiful," I respond contently. I sit there and continue listening for a minute or so before I open my eyes to see the curious look on her face.

"Well Todd, am I healthy?" I grin and an idea goes through my mind.

"Maurecia, you have a rare illness," I say suspenseful. She immediately looks scared.

"I do?" She asks nervously as I nod with my eyes closed. "What is it called?"

"Love Sickness," I say as I remove the stethoscope from her chest and retract the earpieces from my ears, placing it on the table beside us. Maurecia's expression instantly changes to a happy one.

"Oh, Love Sickness?" She chuckles a couple of times. "Is there any cure?" I smile.

"I'm sure there is and I think I have it." I put my hands on her cheeks and hold her face closer to my own. She blushes again. "Hopefully I'm not sick anymore because this won't work if so." She smiles daringly.

"I'm willing to take that risk." I give her a daring smile myself.

"Okay, then are you ready?" She lowers her eyebrows.

"I was born ready for this Todd!" I pull her face in and we forcefully lock lips. I close my eyes and ignore every muscle in my body aside from my mouth and tongue.

Making out isn't something we've gotten to do on an average day in public or around family. Now it's just the two of us. Maurecia and I begin smooching repeatedly as she gently rubs my shoulders and I stroke the back of her head. We began to move our jaws in unison over and over. It feels like we're both trying to absorb each other's oxygen, but the sheer intensity of the pressure makes it enjoyable. After a good three minutes of nonstop kissing, we break. I'm exhausted as hell afterward but Maurecia looks ready for more.

"You're really, getting good at that, Todd." She says while panting.

"So are you." I choke out through hyperventilation. We both rest for about thirty seconds and catch our breaths.

"That felt so wonderful." She moves a little closer. "I can feel this 'love sickness' fading away by the second." I smile.

"You know what they say?" She shakes her head. "Love is the best medicine." She pulls me closer.

"Oh, you!" She tackles me on the couch and pins my shoulders against the cushion. "You always have something romantic to say."

We stare into each other's eyes for a few seconds. I can't take my eyes off her beautiful smile. She's got the prettiest face anyone could ask for. Her smile alone is enough to calm me down after a stressful day or a long walk up or down Wayside School, but the fact she's only a couple inches away from my face brings the sensation to a newer level. I feel much stronger yet weaker whenever we're this close but none of it hurts. It only hurts whenever it's over. Moments like this make me wish I could pause time, or rewind events and relive them. But it's not over yet.

"Thank you Maurecia," I say, adjusting my arms. "Ready for the next phase?" She nods.

"Of course I am. My question to you is where do we start?"

"Why don't we get romantic instead of just jumping into the kissing?" She lowers her eyelids.

"Reasonable plan." She says as she slowly lowers her body to the point she's right on top of me.

"You comfortable?" I ask.

"Very." She responds. "Now, what did you have in mind?" I grin.

"I think we both have different thoughts on 'romantic' so I'll let you choose. You want to go first or second?"

"Hm." She thinks for a second. "I'll let you go first because I've had romantic thoughts for a longer time. I think you'll like what I have planned a little more." I raise an eyebrow.

"Is that a challenge?" I ask. She nods.

"You bet. Now, what do you have in mind?" Suddenly Fluffy comes out of nowhere and hums loudly, catching both of our attention. "Fluffy, what do you want?" Maurecia asks. Fluffy points back in the kitchen. "Oh, soup's done." My expression goes blank.

"Well then, I guess we'll have to resume this later." I help myself up and enter the kitchen.

"Great timing Fluffy," Maurecia says sarcastically. Fluffy just shrugs and they both enter the room. I notice Maurecia has made a large pot of soup with wild rice, chicken, and celery. It smells amazing and I've never seen or tasted this before.

"You made this?" I ask her. She nods proudly.

"I did. I wanted to make sure my patient was well fed." I chuckle a couple of times.

"So what type of soup is it?" She faces the pot.

"It's a special recipe my mom makes during winter. It's one of the greatest foods I've ever eaten myself." She grabs a ladle and pours some into a bowl. "It's just chicken broth and a few ingredients." She hands me the bowl and a spoon. "Tell me what you think." I blow on it a few times and take a small sip. I'm astonished by the flavor.

"Mm." I can't contain. "That is pretty good." She pours a bowl for herself.

"I'm glad you think so." We both sit down at adjacent ends of the kitchen table. "My mom says it's impossible to make this without love."

"That doesn't surprise me," I say as I take a bite containing a large piece of chicken. I can't help but moan in satisfaction.

"You really like it don't you?" She asks.

"I think Le Chef should take cooking lessons from you." Her eyes widen. "It's that good."

"That's the highest praising compliment I've ever heard!" She exclaims.

"I used to think I could cook." She chuckles.

"It's just a meal I told my mom I'd miss when I graduated from school. I felt like I needed to master this recipe before I began living alone." I grimace.

"What if you never live alone?" She flinches for a second but once we make eye contact she knows what I meant.

"You want to live with me?" I regain honesty.

"When we can afford to of course." She gasps happily. "But I've spent some time thinking about it and I think you'd make a great wife." She looks ready to cry.

"Todd…" She sets her spoon down. "Do you really mean it?" I set mine down as well.

"What can I say? You changed your habit of punching me, you know how to cook a large meal, you took care of me when I was ill, and honestly, I've never heard such a detailed love story out of anyone else. The reasons you love me are things anyone can have." She speaks up.

"But I don't know anyone else who does." I continue.

"And furthermore you always try to be a good girlfriend, sometimes I think you try too hard or get a little too far ahead of yourself, but you never fail to succeed. And you've become much more to me than just a friend."

"Awe Todd! You're so sweet! Can we snuggle in bed when this is over?" I nod.

"As you wish babe." I wink at her.

After a few bowls of soup are consumed we go back to my room and Fluffy gets into his small bed. I don't bother putting on a shirt of some sort because right now there is no reason to. Maurecia notices I don't have a shirt on and puts her pajamas aside.

"You're not putting on any sleepwear?" She asks as I shake my head.

"No need. I often sleep without a shirt anyways." She gives me a very seductive face and removes her own shirt. Beneath, she has a clear white undershirt and a reddish bra. I feel my heart begin to speed up a little.

"Why don't we shorten the space between us?" She lays in the bed and holds the blanket open. "Shall we?" She asks as I subtlety enter the bed. Immediately she throws her arms around my neck and pulls our chests together. "Now how about we cure that 'love sickness' I have?" A limit meter runs through my conscience.

"Actually, not now," I say and she looks rather disappointed.

"Why not, is this mood not sexy enough?" I sigh.

"It's sexy alright, I'm just too tired for it right now." She sighs.

"Okay." She stops hugging me and rolls on her side. "Goodnight Todd." I tap her shoulder a few times.

"What's wrong Maurecia?" I ask and she turns over.

"Nothing, I just really wanted to see the truest romantic side of you that you had to offer. Then Fluffy came in, we ate our soup, and now you're ready to end the day." I point at the clock labeled 9.

"Well, it is nine o' clock." She rolls her eyes.

"Well Todd, this might come off as a surprise to you but, I really get aroused when I'm in bed with you." I'm overwhelmed. But I need to be honest.

"We're two freshmen in ninth grade," I say. "I think you're pretty sexy myself but we should have some limits." She turns her head to the side a little.

"I'm not trying to push us that far. But I was hoping we could get really romantic in bed. I was hoping we could snuggle, make out a little, and maybe we could fall asleep hugging each other." I raise an eyebrow. "It's true I was really lovesick today and you know why?" I shrug.

"Why?"

"Because I spent most of the day writing in my diary and watching a couple of news events. By the way, that blizzard hasn't started yet." I roll my eyes.

"We could've had school today."

"But after you fell asleep into your long nap I spent all my time waiting for you to get better and wake up. I came to check on you at three separate times today and felt slightly more disappointed each time." I'm slightly confused.

"You were lonely today?" She nods.

"Yes. You're the only person I look forward to seeing every single day and I only see you five times a week at most. It got to the point where Saturday is my least favorite day of the week." She looks back to me and smiles. "But when you're with me, I'm happy. If I'm having a rough day or a grandparent dies, I think of you. But you're not always next to me when I'm sad, and when I came in today to check on you, I wanted to wake you up for company, but I didn't want you to feel sick for the rest of the day, and…" She pauses for a few seconds.

"And what?" I ask curiously.

"I thought of when you came to me in the hospital. I thought about how you were there for me when I wasn't conscious and waited for me to wake up. For the past year now, I've felt like you had a debt I'd never be able to repay. But today, even though your life wasn't at stake, I could be there for you." I cry a tear. "And sometimes I'm worried I love you a little more than you love me."

"I thought we both agreed love is infinite." She looks up.

"It is, but I think it's safe to say I'm a little more desperate to see you whenever we're not together." I nod.

"That could be. But why do you think that is?" She stops to think about it for a few seconds.

"I think you have more things on your mind than me." She's not incorrect. "I feel like every day at school, seeing you is the only thing on my mind, but you casually eye me from time to time and there isn't a lot of focus centered after that."

"I don't really know how to respond," I say. We make eye contact.

"Sometimes I think I try a little harder to make our relationship a priority." My eyes widen greatly.

"Whoa," I say slowly. "I think you hit the nail on the head." I really hate to admit that.

"Am I the first thing you set your mind on every day?"

"Well… Most of the time." She sighs.

"Am I in your subconscious during your free time?" I shrug.

"I play a lot of video games in my free time." She looks rather sad.

"Is it my fault? Am I not trying hard enough or am I trying too hard?" She asks. I pat her shoulder a couple of times.

"It's not like that if anything I don't try hard enough to prioritize on us." She looks down sadly. "But in my defense," She looks back up. "I didn't know how much it meant to you."

"Oh, okay." She says casually.

"But that's partially your fault too." She shrugs.

"How am I at fault for that?"

"Well for starters you do spend a lot of time next to me updating your diary."

"That's because I want to remember every lovable moment we share. And I'm not really into video games."

"I guess, but sometimes I feel like you treat me like I'm in charge." She sighs.

"I have a couple of reasons for that." She states. "One, you're a little older than me."

"But we'll still graduate at the same time." She continues.

"You are much better at managing your free time." I point to Fluffy.

"That's partially because Fluffy takes up some of your time." She shrugs cluelessly.

"I guess I thought if I tried to manage our relationship I'd screw up, but I didn't want to tell you that either because… I was worried you wouldn't trust me as much, or you'd doubt my capabilities." I hug her slightly.

"I'd never doubt you Maurecia, you're my special girl." She slowly begins smiling. "How many guys are lucky enough to have a girl come to them?" She shrugs. "Very few!" I exclaim. "My mom says it's always the guy's job to make the first move but you came to me first." She looks happy now.

"What does that mean?" I smile proudly.

"It means you started this relationship with me. I never bothered to think about what it'd be like to have a girlfriend, but the past year has really changed my life. And you're the only one who I've gradually spent more and more time with than before so… this is the result of that." I squeeze her gently. "You've actually given me something else to live for." She hugs me back.

"Thanks, cutie pie." She kisses my forehead then snuggles up to my chest. "I love you, Todd." I stroke her back.

"I love you to Maurecia. And I promise I'll never let go." She slowly opens her right eye.

"And I'll never forget you said that." She closes her eye. "Goodnight Todd."

"Goodnight Maurecia." I lean forward and kiss the top of her head before I realize something…

*You never checked on your magnets!* I look over but Maurecia is already sound asleep. I think I'll just check on them tomorrow.

 **Author's Note: That's a wrap. I was hoping I'd have this story done by Christmas time but semester tests have really thrown me off. It's not over yet though so stay tuned for more. Enjoy your holiday!**


	7. Polar Covalence

Polar Covalence

 **Author's Note: The story is about halfway over but not much other than that. I just wanted to say that I took Chemistry last year and it was not all fun and games. But some of the things I learned are things I'm applying to the story. This chapter is going to be rather nerdy compared to the others, but hopefully it's still cute and not too confusing. Maybe it'll even get hot, who knows? Please have fun :)**

Wednesday

Maurecia's POV

It's a nice peaceful Wednesday and I'm still snuggled up next to my adorable boyfriend. I love him with all my heart and I sure hope he knows that. I look up at his face and notice he's already awake.

"Good morning babe." He says cutely.

"Good morning cutie pie." I say before I kiss his neck. He just chuckles a few times. "So how was last night?" We both exit his bed.

"I really enjoyed it." He says as he puts on his usual blue shirt. "Do you think today you'll go home?" I shrug.

"If I find any reason to leave this house." I put on my shirt and helmet. "Right Fluffy?" Fluffy continues to sleep.

"I think we should let him sleep in, I wouldn't want to deal with an enraged porcupine." We both chuckle.

"Me neither." I say as I put my skates on. "Would you like me to make us some breakfast?" I offer. Todd nods but holds his index finger up.

"That's generous but you're my guest and you did everything for me yesterday." He steps out and I follow him.

"Okay, well is there anything I can do for you?" He grins.

"I love your enthusiasm to help."

"What can I say? It's my favorite trait you have. I might as well do more of that myself." He shrugs.

"Alright but before we do any of that," He faces the stairs to the basement. "I really do need to check on my magnets." I immediately rev forward going at a higher speed than usual.

"I'll race you to the bottom!" I shout as I begin rolling down the stairway.

"Maurecia, wait!" He calls but I'm already at the bottom. I go to the generator and grip the magnet attached to it.

"Come on!" I take a deep breath in, release it, then use every single muscle within my body to just my arms. The magnet flies off the generator and I fall backwards with the magnet still in my hands. I manage to get up just in time for Todd to make his way down.

"Maurecia, what the hell was that?" He looks and sounds somewhat annoyed. I try to look innocent.

"I beat you!" I say holding my fists in the air, only for Todd to notice the magnet in my hand. He sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Maurecia, please never do that again?" I look rather confused.

"What?"

"Rolling down the stairs on that speed. It's extremely dangerous." I look down. "Do you want to end up in the hospital again?" I shake my head.

"Not really, but you weren't there to push me this time." He folds his arms.

"I wasn't there to catch you either. Let's not risk anyone's lives while we're here. While you're in my house, doing stunts is strictly off limits." I frown sadly.

"Fine." Although, hearing Todd take initiative feels kind of sexy. I love it when he enforces rules, he's not annoying at it like Dana.

"And why are you holding one of my magnets?" I hand it to him.

"It was just so shiny that I had to look at it early." Todd flips the light switch.

"Could you see it in the dark?"

"No." I admit.

"You're not Myron. You know there's a light switch." I giggle.

"Just another decision I rushed." He smiles. I've relived he's not on to me anymore.

"Okay, but you didn't take the other one out?" I open the box and remove the magnet.

"I've got it now." He smiles and withdraws his magnet monitor.

"Okay that's good." He places his magnet next to the monitor then plugs it into his laptop. I notice what looks like a line graph with different colors growing and shrinking.

"What is that?" I ask. He turns around looking incredibly humble.

"I'm glad you asked." He turns the computer to the side a little so I can see it better. "These graphs represent the electronic force within them. Every second the protons and electrons move closer or further apart of each other." This is very interesting to me.

"That's so cool. How do magnets contain these electrical forces?" I ask curiously. Todd responds in a wise tone.

"Well actually, everything made of cells has an electrical force running through them. Including us humans." I never knew that.

"We do?" He nods. "How come we don't feel a spark every single time we touch one another?"

"Well babe, our skin has a slight voltage resistance to the point where we often can't even feel it. But metal objects have an easier current path within them. Protons and electrons want to come together but they don't want to be near other atoms with the same charge." A lot of this makes sense.

"Is it like you and me?" He looks slightly confused. "We're two straight people of opposite genders who would rather be together than other people of the same gender." He raises an eyebrow proudly.

"I've never thought of it that way." I smile. "Today I've learned something from you." I giggle.

"That's a rarity." I say as he shakes his head.

"No it isn't. Being you're boyfriend teaches me more and more things each day." I shrug.

"I think you learn more about yourself and your feelings with me. Not like you get much smarter with me around." He chuckles.

"I have a lot more to learn myself babe, but you seem to be learning at a faster rate when you're around me." Does that really surprise him?

"Well you do say a lot of smart things whenever I'm around you." He folds his arms and grins happily.

"I'm not so much smarter than you say I am." Look at him, trying to be humble.

"Not like building a rocket ship is something I'll ever do."

"You do know Miss Mush helped me with that right?" I nod.

"But neither of you would've been able to do it alone. Except maybe you could." He chuckles.

"It'd take me a long time to build a rocket on my own." I concede.

"Well if you insist you're not a genius, whatever floats your boat, right?" We both laugh after that. Then I move on. "Have you ever thought of our relationship as a bond?"

"Oh the chemistry talk huh?" He shrugs. "No, I don't think I have."

"Would you like to analyze it?" I ask him as he nods.

"Sounds like a lot of fun. Hm…" He puts his left hand on his chin and looks upright. "Are you familiar with the three types of bonding?" I shrug.

"A little. Aren't they ionic, or covalent?" He nods.

"It seems you know this." I read a book about bonding a while back thinking it was about relationships. It's not like I needed any help though.

"So what bond do we have?" I ask. He thinks for a few more seconds and then speaks up.

"We have an ionic bond." He concludes.

"Can you explain the three types?" I ask curiously.

"Sure thing. The two types of Covalent bonds are Polar and Nonpolar." He stares at his magnet. "Nonpolar bonds have a small difference in electronegativity. But they share their electrons equally. Sometimes one atom has both electrons, sometimes the other has both, and sometimes they both have one." Impressive.

"Fascinating. Please continue." I say.

"But the electrons spend roughly the same amount of time within both atoms and that's why they don't split up."

"That's pretty cool." I say.

"Polar covalence on the other hand has a stronger grip on an electron. Two protons both want the same electron but they don't want to be near each other, so the negative charge shares them evenly." He pauses. "A good example would be water."

"Water?" He nods.

"H2O consists of two positive hydrogen atoms and one negative oxygen atom. The atomic number in the oxygen is negative two and that's why two positive ones need to be in it." This is making a lot of sense now.

"So the two atoms can balance out?" He nods happily.

"Exactly, they both want to reach their maximum amount of protons and electrons on their level of the periodic table." I give a dumbfounded expression because that sounded confusing.

"So… essentially what?" I ask.

"If an atom has plus one electron then they want to give it up or if it's minus one they want to gain another one." I sigh.

"That's easier. So they share an electron?" He nods.

"Uh huh. And that's what holds them together, creating the bond." I feel like I'm missing something but that makes more sense. "Now the ionic bond…" He pauses dramatically.

"The ionic bond what?" I ask. He smiles again.

"Let's pretend I'm a proton." I nod.

"So I'm an electron?" He shakes his head.

"No, your heart is an electron."

"My heart? Why's that?" I ask.

"I'll tell you that." He holds his magnet a little higher. "Ionic bonds have two atoms with an electronegativity difference so large, the proton will essentially grab the electron away from the other atom entirely to complete the level." I nod slowly.

"Alright then." He proceeds.

"That being said, you have a bunch of feelings within your heart but they were all negative before our relationship began, and so I captured your heart." I laugh a couple of times.

"You stole it from me?" He lowers his eyelids.

"I stole your heart from anyone else's grip that is. Your feelings are mine now and those other guys can't have them!" He gives a hearty laugh. "And now that I have your heart, I become a negative since I have an additional negative electron. Meanwhile you become a positive since you lose a negative so you have a positive charge. And what do positive and negative charges do to each other?" I smile.

"Attract?" He closes his eyes proudly.

"You can say that again." I look down at the magnet one more time, and then back up at Todd's face.

"That's cute Todd, but I don't know if that's the way I'd see it." He opens his eyes slowly in confusion.

"What bond would you call it?" I smile.

"I think we have a polar covalent bond." He pauses.

"Hm. Care to educate me on that?" He asks. I think it through pretty quickly and begin.

"Let's pretend we're both atoms with an additional electron on the outermost energy level and our heart is the atom with the negative two charge."

"Our heart?" I nod. "Don't you mean our hearts?" I wink.

"Don't be silly cutie pie, if we're both protons with the same electron then we already have a perfect balance." He nods.

"Okay."

"Metaphorically, they say two lovers share one heart that contains both of their feelings." He looks rather surprised.

"Interesting, continue please."

"So yeah, the heart we share didn't exist before we met or maybe it did, but we just hadn't seen it before. But we both want to complete this charge by equalizing the force right?"

"I guess so."

"Then perhaps our heart, wants to satisfy both of us and it wants to take the electrons from both of us, or the electrons are our feelings since we share them for each other within this large heart." Todd looks like he's having an epiphany. "Now that the heart we share has both of our feelings we cannot leave it and so, we're forced to hold onto it in both of our arms forming the covalent bond."

"And you said I was good at analyzing things." He says. I skate right up to him and hold our magnets together. He looks at the magnets for a second, then back up at my loving face.

"Or maybe our hearts are like two magnets that want to stay together and never let go, and our feelings are the electric current flowing through them." A single tear falls out of his left eye as I wrap my right arm around his back while my left arm is still holding the powerful magnet.

"Maurecia, you might just be the smartest girl I've ever met." I feel my heart flutter.

"Awe Todd, that is super sweet of you to say!" I pull his face in and kiss him with every bit of strength within my lips. He closes his eyes and engages in the arousing kiss. But instead of continuing to make out with him, we stop. "How did that feel?" I asked seductively.

"It felt like an electrical charge went through my entire body and your lips were the power source." I kiss him on the cheek.

"I love it when you talk scientifically. Now should we continue our chemical bond upstairs on the couch?" I wink.

"Yeah, let's build onto our electronic structure." We set the magnets back inside the box and make our way upstairs. When we get there Todd lies down on the couch, I remove my helmet and skates, and then climb on top of him. I adjust to laying on my stomach while he continues lying on his back. Not more than a second later we hug each other and begin making out.

"Do we, really have electricity, flowing through our bodies?" I ask as I go on and off during our kissing.

"We sure do. Electrons run, through every, very object in, the world." He responds through the intense make out session.

"Kinky." I say.

I begin sucking on his lower lip. He reacts by sucking on my upper lip. I insert my tongue into his mouth and lick his shiny teeth. I feel his tongue enter my mouth as well and he begins rubbing it across the top of my mouth just behind my teeth. Both of us are breathing very deeply through our noses. I begin to lose the feeling throughout the rest of my body and rely only on my mandible to endure this powerful battle. Todd doesn't slow down though, he continues to inhale what little oxygen I have left in my body while I fight to steal his. I can feel my heart thumping intensely and my lungs expanding and contracting the air that I breathe. I playfully lower my own teeth catching Todd's tongue. He flinches and opens his eyes. I close mine and wrap my tongue around his. At this point there isn't any saliva left for either of us because our throats are so dry. I hug his head extremely tightly and our faces are closer together than ever before. I then let up for one second, take the deepest breath I've ever taken in my life, then kiss him. Todd breathes out a little but I don't allow him to breathe back in. Both of our faces are locked to one another and our lips are now an unbreakable bond. Both of our breathing patterns are halted and our blood flows pulsate in unison. I hold the kiss for as long as I can before I eventually let go and almost faint. I can hardly move any of my muscles now and Todd is the same way. I lay my ear on his chest, listening to his heart beat at an extreme force. Both of us are breathing heavily and rapidly. After almost two minutes we're barely any stronger before Todd chokes out.

"Wow." He barely is able to speak. "That, was, incredible." He continues breathing as I begin to regain my physical feeling.

"No, kidding." I manage to say. I continue to hug his overheating body and it actually feels like we're in a sauna. After another minute we begin to breathe slower, but barely any less forcefully.

"That was fun." Todd says. I wink at him.

"Always my pleasure." I say as I regain control of my lungs.

"I've never felt more aroused in my life." He says in the middle of inhaling.

"Neither have I Todd." We lay there for another three or four minutes until I'm finally strong enough to walk again. We both get up off the couch and head towards the kitchen.

"We've never gone half as far into making out as that time." I can't disagree with him.

"I know." We look into each other's eyes smiling.

"When did you decide to learn how to make out like a goddess?" I giggle.

"I felt a powerful force deep within me. I stole every electron you had as you stole all of mine. Both of them now reside in the powerful heart that we've created together." He smiles passionately.

"I love you Maurecia."

"And I love you Todd."

 **Author's Note: Hope you liked that one. It took me a while to perfect it but I did it to the best of my ability. Hope you enjoyed. Have a nice day. :)**


	8. An Absolution

An Absolution

 **Author's Note: No large updates this time, but I should warn you the story is going to get slightly more questionably-explicit in this chapter. There are a couple awkward moments. Anyways, carry on readers.**

Todd's POV

It was a pretty easy day for the most part; we spent most of the day close to one another doing our own things. I spent most of it playing a game while Maurecia updated our photo album. We had more leftover soup for lunch and Fluffy spent most of the day at our side. After eating a frozen pizza around six thirty, Maurecia's cell phone rings.

"Who's this?" She flips the phone open. "Hello?" I raise an eyebrow in a questioning expression. "Oh daddy how are you?"

"Is that your dad?" I ask curiously. She winks at me and continues.

"I'm good." She says as they continue talking. "No, I'm still at Todd's house." She turns over to me. "Is that okay? He's done a pretty good job taking care of me as a guest so far." She sighs. "But dad, I don't know if he's Christian." My eyelids expand.

"I am." I say in shock of her not knowing that.

"He is, but he probably doesn't go." I shrug in confusion. "I have to go? That's not fair!" She complains. He continues speaking to her. "I don't know if he wants to talk." I tap her shoulder.

"I can." She groans and looks turns back into the phone.

"You want to talk to Todd?" She sighs. "Okay here he is." She hands me the phone, then skates into the kitchen.

"Hello?" I say into the phone.

"Hello Todd. How are you?" It's Maurecia's father.

"Hi Jerome, I'm doing pretty well, thank you for asking."

"Have you been taking good care of my daughter?"

"Yes sir, I have." I pause for a second. "Have you been taking good care of the accused man?" He begins laughing at that.

"That's hilarious!" He slowly stops laughing. "But for now we're doing well. The trial isn't over yet but right now I think we're winning."

"That's nice. Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

"Yes son, it's not a critical or mandatory favor, but could you please go to church with Maurecia tonight?" I guess I hadn't planned this.

"Well sir, I don't know. It's pretty cold outside and there isn't a car for me to take." I respond.

"It's only about a mile away from your house. If you and Maurecia take wheels and go slow and steady, you shouldn't have any trouble getting there." I stop for a second and think it over.

"Do you want me to use my skateboard?" I ask.

"If you're used to it, but I would really appreciate it if she went to church one of these nights. Is she coming home tomorrow?" He asks.

"If you say so, you're the boss around here." He gives his usual hearty laugh.

"Not today Todd. You're the man of the house, so it's your responsibility to determine whether or not Maurecia is welcome, not mine." I didn't see that coming.

"Okay, well she's a lot of fun." He has another hearty laugh.

"That's what I like to hear son." He pauses for a second. "I can call you 'son' right?"

"I'm okay with that."

"Good, you're a pretty good boy aren't you?" I roll my eyes.

"For the most part, I guess." My tone lowers a couple of notches. "But I'm still not perfect." He sighs.

"Nobody's perfect Todd, but Maurecia thinks you're perfect so it's really not a problem."

"Even though an injury caused by me is the only reason we're together?" His tone changes as well.

"I thought you put that behind you. Maurecia said she'd like to never look back."

"It's still something I'm never going to forgive myself for." He sighs.

"Son, I think you can put it behind you, if you hadn't hurt my daughter I never would've gotten to meet you. My other sons try to get girlfriends but they're too immature to get approval from their parents." I'm a little shocked.

"Sir, Maurecia's your only daughter, are you really more worried about your boys than you are of her?" He scoffs.

"Todd, Maurecia is way tougher than they are. Besides, I actually trust you and respect you as a person."

"What are you saying?" I ask.

"Sometimes I wish my sons were a little more like you. Parker is too lazy to get a job or hardly ever even leave the couch. I'm greatly worried about him because he's a senior now and I don't know if he'll be able to live on his own next year." I roll my eyes.

"The only message I'm hearing is, if Maurecia and I do get married, don't have children because they're too hard to manage."

"No, I can manage them pretty well, it's when they can't rely on me anymore when I get worried." I'm still confused.

"Well you're about six four and have the physical form a lot of strong men in their twenties have, even though you're in your forties." He chuckles.

"I'm forty seven. And I was thirty two on Christmas day, when we finally stopped having children. We thought seven was enough." I give an awkward face.

"I doubt I'll have seven kids." I say. "I don't think I could handle that many." He chuckles.

"I know my daughter will say otherwise, but my advice isn't that simple. I'm saying don't have any children until you're ready for them. If you can't even afford to be at home with your family during Christmas break, then you did one or two things wrong." That's interesting coming from him.

"Okay, I never thought about having children before." Jerome catches my attention.

"Todd! Keep in mind if you do have children they'll need habits fixated into their lives!" He says rather firmly.

"Like what?" I ask nervously. "Are you worried about something?"

"I know Maurecia is going to want to have children the first chance she has when you're both adults and living out of your parents' home. And she's likely going to say you were ready long before you were an adult before you made that decision." I'm getting a little scared during this conversation.

"Sir, are you talking about sex?" I hear him clear his throat.

"Yes Todd, I'm not ready to be a grandpa yet. I need a quick, sane, reality check." I take a deep breath.

"Sir, I'm a fifteen year old virgin who has no intentions of changing that until I have a job, close to or finished with my lifetime education, and have a home to support myself."

"I'm proud to hear that." I sigh in relief. "Todd, I want you to remember that I trust you."

"Thank you sir."

"You're welcome, but sometimes I think of you possibly being my son in law. The idea of you and my only daughter possibly getting married and having kids, it's a lot to take in just by thinking of it, and sometimes I need to hear it from you specifically that you'll protect my daughter and you'll treat her as any respectable man would." Okay then.

"You can count on me sir. I promise nothing irresponsible involving Maurecia for as long as I live."

"Good, now if you'd please take my daughter to church with you, I'd really appreciate it."

"Okay sir, I will."

"Thank you." Just as I'm about to hang up he speaks up. "Todd."

"Yes Jerome?" I respond rather impatiently.

"I'm giving you a little leash on Maurecia right now, I know my wife wants every child at the house while we're not home but I'm trusting you with our youngest. Please make me proud." I'm left feeling proud and astounded. When I'm about to tell him thanks, he hangs up on me. I guess I'll have to keep my word. I make my way back into the kitchen and see Maurecia washing our plates and our cutting board.

"Babe, what are you doing?" I ask and she turns around.

"Washing dishes." She continues. "It's only fair if I help out with inevitable chores we share." I smile lightly.

"Can I give us another chore?"

"Like what?" Maurecia gives me adorable eyes and holds her hands together below her pancreas.

"Can I count on you to go to church tonight with me?" Her eyebrows drop.

"What? When I gave you the phone I thought you were trying to talk my dad out of it!" I hold my arms outward.

"Well what was I supposed to do about it?" I say defending myself. "Your mom is getting a little impatient with you right now and it's because you've been here longer than she thought!" She glares at me.

"Todd, I told you I wanted to be around people I considered family this year." I frown and cross my arms.

"Maurecia, whether you like it or not, we're not family." She still looks angry but a couple of tears make their way to her eyes.

"I see the term 'family' as someone or a group of people you hold closer to your heart than the rest of the world!" I'm surprised. "Now does that mean with four older brothers who barely pay any attention to you or someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?" I make a half disgusted face.

"I don't know, but I do know we're not related by blood or matrimony. So there isn't anything either of us can do about it." She turns away from me. "Your dad called you because he wants you to praise god on the night we were given someone who would later give up his own life to redeem us of our wrongdoings." She shrugs.

"It's December twenty-third. We're two days away from that." I sigh.

"Maurecia, we haven't had any relief to our sins since the day either of us were born. Whether we don't like to look at them or deny their existence. You and I have both made many misdeeds in our lifetimes. And even though people say they'd rather not remember, they still exist and it's too late to go back."

"Todd..." She says quietly as she faces me. "Are you saying forgiveness doesn't mean anything?" I shrug.

"Not necessarily, but sometimes they're not enough." She closes her eyes. "And sometimes… they feel like a scar that won't fade, a void that won't fill, an empty piece within us that we'll never be able to look at the way we could have." She looks up at me. "Remember when you were in the hospital?" She begins to cry.

"I thought I told you never to look back Todd, I already forgave you for that incident a long time ago. I kept hoping and praying you'd get over that." I sigh.

"I try Maurecia, I try really hard to forget about that. But… even if you say it's okay… part of me will never get over the Todd I was that day. I wish that Todd didn't exist but he did and he did something horrifying that day." Maurecia skates a little closer.

"I thought I told you that Todd only made me stronger." I look up.

"No he didn't. The Todd that was sorry for the action and prayed for your safety the day you woke up made you stronger. The Todd I was the day of the incident, almost killed you." I shed a couple tears myself. She hugs me lightly.

"Please don't think that way. It's a miracle I got up." I stop crying.

"And it is God who decided to save your soul. So I think we need to honor him by going to the perish tonight and spending time serving the Lord's Prayer." She immediately smiles.

"Okay cutie pie. I'll do it for you." She slides to the closet and removes two coats. I serve Fluffy a peanut butter sandwich.

"Here you go pal." Fluffy licks his lips.

" _Thank you Todd."_ He mouths before he takes a big bite of the sandwich.

"Fluffy." He looks up at me. "Please behave yourself while we're gone." He nods. "Alright then, goodbye." Maurecia hands me a coat and I pick up my skateboard. A minute later we're out the door.

After about five minutes of high speed skating and skateboarding we arrive at the church. It's an unusually tall building with a large cross on the outside and a small labyrinth area next to it with a couple of benches and a large bell that is held in place.

"This is your church?" I ask.

"You bet." Maurecia opens the door for me. "After you."

"Thank you." I say as I step forward and she follows me. We make it to the larger room where there is an assortment of benches lined up. Few people are actually in this building right now other than the choir and maybe about forty people in total sitting down.

"Hey! There's Parker!" Maurecia exclaims as she points to an older kid sitting five rows from the front behind the choir.

"Isn't he your oldest brother?" I ask.

"Well, he's the oldest brother still living inside our house, third member of the lower totem pole." She responds. "I'm a little surprised he came. I thought he'd sit on the couch and play Halo all night." I grin.

"He should come to my house and play games sometime." She chuckles.

"You two are so alike with gaming. But other than that you're polar opposites. He's supposed to be extremely lazy and not care about being social to anyone else." I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you saying he's out of character?" She turns back to me.

"To my perspective he is. But it's possible he's maturing." I smile.

"Let's go sit by him." I grab her hand and start walking that way.

"I don't know about this." I let go of her hand and give her a confusing look.

"What's the problem?" I ask.

"Well… you remember how every time you came to my house one of my brothers would try to sabotage our good time right?" I nod.

"Yeah, but don't remember Parker ever doing anything to us." I grab her arm again. "Don't be ashamed to be present with a family member." As we get closer he spots us and waves.

"Hey sis!" He exclaims rather happily.

"Hey bro." She responds shyly. I chuckle a couple times and sit down, Maurecia does the same.

"Hi Parker." I say holding out my hand.

"Todd!" He exclaims as he high fives me. "Great to see you again, Maurecia never stops talking about you." Maurecia blushes.

"No I don't." She clears her throat. "But I also didn't expect to see you hear. Did dad make you come?" He shakes his head.

"No, I came by choice." Maurecia's eyes widen.

"No way! You never want to get off of your game." He chuckles.

"If you play the same game every single game it gets repetitive." He grabs my skateboard. "Did you really think bringing a skateboard into church is a respectful idea?" I stammer a couple of times.

"Well, I uh, I didn't have a car with me, and I uh, I didn't know where else to put it." He chuckles twice.

"No problem Todd, but this isn't a good spot for it." He stands up and steps out of the row. "Allow me to show you the closet." I get up and follow him.

"Okay sure." Maurecia just kneels and prays.

"I'll just stay here." We head out of the room.

A couple minutes later we're at a closet containing some clothes hangers and a few boots on the ground. Some hangers are occupied by coats and I add mine to the closet myself. Parker seats my skateboard in and upward position next to the pole.

"There's a good spot for a skateboard don't you think?" I shrug.

"I guess so. I'm really sorry, I'm not used to coming to church so I didn't plan on the skateboard being an issue." I say apologetically and defensively.

"Todd, it's alright dude. It's just very unexpected to have a skateboard next to you during mass. People might have weird thoughts."

"Alright." I assume we're about to go back but he doesn't follow me.

"Have you been treating my sister well?" He asks grimly. I raise an eyebrow.

"Uh yeah, your dad asked the same question." He shrugs.

"Nothing personal, I just felt obligated to ask since she is my youngest sibling and I heard you might've been the cause that put her in the hospital." I'm getting really stressed out.

"I didn't mean for that to happen!" I raise my voice at him. "Can we just put it behind us?"

"I don't know. You promise you won't do it again?" I make a fist but hide it.

"Yes I do! I've spent a long time trying to get over it okay! I don't need you to bring it back up." I glare at him as he defensively holds his arms out.

"Dude, okay I get it. No need to get aggressive." I calm down a little. "I just don't want you to end up hurting her again." I sigh and hold my head down.

"Parker." I mumble.

"Yeah Todd?" He responds. I think it over.

"Never mind." I slowly walk away under sadness.

"Dude." I stop. "I'm sorry, did I say something?" I sniffle a couple times but try fighting more inevitable tears. "Buddy, are you crying?" I face him.

"I'm trying not to." His expression drops.

"What's on your mind?"

"I said never mind." I say defensively. He sighs.

"Just tell me pal, I'm not mad at you for anything." I take a deep breath.

"Parker, I've been trying really hard to forget about hurting Maurecia for a long time. You bringing it up only makes it worse."

"Oh, I'm really sorry Todd." He pats my shoulder. "I just get worried about Maurecia sometimes. She is the youngest member of our family and her dating you as a Freshman is a bit younger than most people do." We make eye contact.

"It's alright Parker, it's just really hard to look at Maurecia sometimes without an image of her unconscious and motionless going through my head. I've never been able to forgive myself for that." He smiles.

"Don't feel bad Todd, you're actually my hero." I'm astonished.

"I am?" He nods.

"Yeah dude, Maurecia always comes home from school in a good mood and it's all because of you."

"Okay, why do you care?" I ask.

"It's just nice to see my little sister so happy every day. You've really boosted her confidence." I smile.

"Okay then. Glad to hear it."

"And that lead to my confidence being boosted as well." I flinch.

"What does that mean?" I ask curiously. He giggles a couple of times.

"I have a girlfriend now!" He exclaims. "After Maurecia left I looked through my contacts and called a girl I haven't spoken to in a while!" There's a real surprise. "I asked her if she was doing anything and she said no. And she's extremely cute!" It's nice to see him happy.

"That's pretty cool." I say. "Does she go to Wayside?" He nods.

"Yep. And she's a member of the choir; I came to hear her sing." He pauses. "But between you and me, Maurecia doesn't know about it yet and I'm not ready to tell her." I frown slightly.

"Why not?" He shrugs.

"I really don't know. But can you keep that a secret please?" He asks looking a little desperate.

"I suppose." I kind of need to use the bathroom. "Hey is there a bathroom around here?" He nods and points behind him.

"Right around the corner." I run behind him.

"Thanks Parker, I'll be there in a few minutes."

I run into the restroom, use the urinal, wash my hands and then take a long look in the mirror. I like to think my soft clean face is presentable for Maurecia, but I kind of feel like my standard blue shirt looks lazy for a night like this. A church is a place for better clothing. I step out and hear the sound of instruments being played loudly in progression. Unfortunately for me, I'm not alone. A slightly shorter, yet slightly older, girl slams the girl's restroom door open and doesn't see me.

"I'm gonna be late!" She runs out quickly and crashes into me.

"OW!" We both exclaim in unison as my back hits the wall, hers does to. I get up within five seconds while she slowly gets back on her feet.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She says timidly. I take her hand and help her up.

"It's okay." I assure her. "It's not the first time I've been hit by a girl and it's not even in the top ten times for how much it hurt." She giggles.

"Oh, good." She says sounding shy. "I didn't mean to hit you, I just need to get back to the choir." I pause, listen closely, and turn back to her.

"I think they're working on the chord progression right now, the vocals will come in later." She pauses and stares into my eyes.

"Have I seen you before?" She asks.

"I don't know for sure. I'm Todd." I hold my hand out and she shyly shakes it.

"I'm Ellie. I go to Wayside high school." I'm surprised.

"So do I. Maybe we've seen each other but never spoke. I'm a freshman." She giggles.

"I'm a senior." I flinch.

"You're a senior? You look too young for that." She giggles again.

"I was a late September birthday and I skipped a grade." She says. "I'm sixteen."

"Interesting, you're one of the smarter people in your grade?" She nods. "I'm one of the more intelligent students myself." She smiles.

"That's neat. I heard some teachers talking about a student who they believe could've gone to college without going through high school." She gives me a beautiful smile. "I think they were talking about you." I'm flattered.

"That's pretty cool." She giggles. "I think you look younger than me." She blushes.

"Aw, you're adorable." I immediately feel my subconscious kick in.

"But I am in a relationship." She pauses.

"Oh that's fine, so am I." I raise an eyebrow slightly.

"Really?" She nods.

"I just hope I don't disappoint my boyfriend when I sing." She says looking kind of scared.

"Well, I kind of like your voice." She smiles and blushes. "You've got this in the bag."

"Thank you… uh Todd was it?" I nod. "Thanks Todd."

"You're welcome Ellie." I say.

"Awe, you remembered my name." I give her a thumbs up. "I'll do my best!" She then runs into the mass room at full speed.

"Good work Todd." I tell myself as a hand is placed on the back of my shoulder, I flinch and turn around to see a much older man.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you before." This must be the priest. He is wearing a large robe with crosses on it and speaks in a lower toned voice.

"I'm Todd." I hold my hand out and he shakes it.

"I'm father Wilbur. Are you a new member of our church family?" I shrugs slightly.

"I don't think so; I'm here because Maurecia's here." He smiles.

"Are you her smart, handsome, and wise boyfriend?" I pause for a second. "She always asks me if it's a sin to love someone as much as she loves him."

"I do date her." I respond as he smiles.

"So it is you. Maurecia hasn't come to church one time without praying to god that you and her will be closer together."

"She doesn't?" I ask and he nods slowly.

"No son. She never makes any of her prayers about anyone else." I look up at him nervously.

"Is it a sin to be in love at our age?" He chuckles a couple of times.

"Not at all son, in fact it's kind of adorable."

"I mean, you're a priest so you're not married right?" He shakes his head.

"No son I'm not. A holy priest isn't allowed to have a significant other. But that is by design and I chose to take on that design. There really isn't a sin to loving another human being. It's only a sin to not pledge love to one person."

"Oh okay." I respond quietly.

"But you're still young so it's not too late for you." I look him in the eyes.

"I have a couple important questions." He makes a humble face.

"I may have a couple of answers." I shiver a little on the inside.

"Is it a sin to have sex before marriage?" He flinches but continues.

"No son it is not, but I don't encourage anyone to have a child with anyone they don't love." I continue.

"And no, I haven't done it with Maurecia, but… a small part me wishes I could." I break my emotions and look at him nervously. "Is that a sin?" He pats my shoulder.

"Not at all son, it's a phase in puberty to begin developing desires, but if they're actual feelings, then it's not a sin." I'm pretty surprised.

"It isn't?"

"Well if you want to bring new life into this world then no it isn't. It was God's choice to make humans that way, but he gave us a free will."

"What are you saying?" I ask.

"God has no control over you as a human being and won't think less of you if you follow your heart. Is your heart in the right place?" I nod.

"I think so." He pats my shoulder. "Is it wrong to ask you of all people?"

"Son, I understand your point of view, you wonder if you're too young to love someone and the answer is no, though I don't recommend lusting until you're a little older." I nod.

"Fair enough." He continues.

"But if you truly do care about Maurecia, and she returns the same feelings for you, then you're still a clean soul who doesn't have any critical sins." This man is very wise.

"Sir, I do have one more sin that I can't even look to God for forgiveness." His expression changes.

"What is it?" I fight my own tears before they show.

"A little more than a year ago, I almost killed Maurecia." He looks shocked.

"You had a plan to take her life?"

"No, I punched her square in the forehead and she hit a wall." He sighs. "She was in a coma for two days."

"Son, what lead you to making that courageous move?" I shrug.

"For the longest time she'd punch me on the shoulder and I was sick of it. But her skates lead her to a concussion that could've easily disrupted her blood flow to her brain."

"And you are angry at yourself for doing that?" I nod.

"Sort of. It's a sin I feel every day and it bothers me. Are you angered by it?"

"Whether it disturbs me or not makes no difference to who you are Todd." That figures. "But did you thank God for keeping her with us on Earth rather than leading her to her demise?" I nod.

"I've never been more thankful about anything else for as long as I've been alive." He smiles comfortingly.

"Todd, if you've said thank you for protecting Maurecia's soul, then you've done your bidding for the sin. Your soul isn't in danger of smite."

"I know that, but it hurts me every day just looking back to it." He sighs.

"Son, I must go to my mass now, just remember that you're still a good boy, and Jesus still loves you." That's kind of reassuring. He walks out onto the stage as I rejoin Maurecia and Parker.

"What took you so long?" Parker asks.

"I bumped into a girl and met the priest." They both smile.

"What'd you think of Father Wilbur?" Maurecia asks.

"He's a cool guy." I say nervously. "I did learn a couple of things... and he learnt some things about me."

"Like what?" She asks. I shrug and sit down next to her.

"It's not important."

The mass session begins and I sit through a couple holy songs and a gospel reading. Father Wilbur takes his time to think of a homily to reference the reading, and I am really surprised to hear what he has to say!

"Just a little while ago." He begins. "I met a young man." I instantly know he's talking about me and I'm scared. "He felt like his soul was lost and maybe God wasn't there for him." I slowly slide downward hopelessly. Maurecia looks frustrated.

"What are you doing?" She asks sounding annoyed.

"Listen for yourself." I say as she turns back to him.

"He said that he was worried about people who get intimate at a young age, and that it may happen to him next." Maurecia turns toward me with wide eyes. I only shrug. "I told him that no, it's not a sin as long as you love and care for the person you're with. However, he stated he once injured a young lady. A young girl he claims to be in love with as we speak." Maurecia and I both have the same nervous expression on our faces. "To clarify, this girl was put in the hospital under an unfortunate act of violence he caused under pure frustration." Parker looks over at us.

"Hey that sounds like you." We both frown and Maurecia holds her arms out. "Oh, I see." He realizes and turns back to Wilbur.

"However, this young man is an innocent boy who feels the same pain of guilt behind his back on a daily basis, and I have some advice for him." I lean forward. "May your soul be purified." Right now I don't know what he's going for. He lifts up his bowl of holy water. "Dear lord, you've guided this injured girl through a lethal punishment and through that same young man's prayers, you've protected her soul." I feel rather relieved. "Dear lord, we are very proud you didn't take this girl away from our lives because she's too young to leave this world, and we are all thankful that she finally found love that she longed for so much." This is all really exciting for me. "And to the young boy who gave his apologies, the lord forgives you." I smile and almost shed a tear. "You are a truly blessed boy in this world to have such a pure heart and the will to admit to your misdeed. You're forgiven now by not only me, but everyone who cherishes the young girl's life. God has no quarrel with you young man, he longs for peace on Earth and you have made your peace with this young lady." He pauses for a second. "May that peace… bring your heart, and all of our hearts, closer to you, closer to her, and closer to one another for who we are."

After that's over I feel happy and renewed. Parker generously gave us a ride home from church, Fluffy set up a little mistletoe neither Maurecia nor I chose to ignore, and then we got into my bed and begin snuggling cozily up to each other. She lays her ear on my chest and wraps her warm arms around my back.

"I love you Todd."

"I love you to Maurecia." I lay there and watch my heartbeat lull her to sleep as I think about the things Wilbur said. But most importantly, that punch is long behind us now and I'll never look back to that day again. I gently place my hand over her heartbeat and feel the very source of her life and her desire to remain with me. I'll never forget that either. I give her a kiss on the top of her head and finally fall asleep.

 **Author's Note: And done. I hope that was as enjoyable to read as it was for me to write. Carry on readers, Goodnight.**


	9. Friendly Flavors

Friendly Flavors

 **Author's Note: I finally got a Wayside book and I've started reading it. I've learned a few extra details here and there that could make this story more interesting. Have fun. And prepare yourself for the unexpected.**

Thursday

Maurecia's POV

I don't know how I got here, but somehow I'm back in school already. I don't remember celebrating Christmas, but I'm already where I started. It doesn't make any sense to me.

"Good morning Maurecia." It was Mrs. Jewls. "Did you enjoy your break?" I shrug.

"I don't feel like it should be over yet. I feel like my time was downsized." She smiles.

"Well I've got something that might cheer you up." She pulls out an ice cream cone.

"Oh wow!" I exclaim at the delicious looking dessert. "That looks delicious!" She holds it out.

"It's all yours." I take the cone and lick the top of the frozen dairy. It tastes so amazing, yet so familiar somehow.

"Mmm." I marvel at the flavor. I don't remember why, but I remember tasting something like this before. I just can't remember what it was. I finish the cone and even though it's very filling to my stomach, I feel like I need more. It's like a strange addiction. I used to be crazy about ice cream until I had every flavor so many times, I couldn't enjoy them anymore. But this flavor is super unique.

"Is there any more Mrs. Jewls?" I ask curiously. She shakes her head.

"Sorry dear, we don't have any more." I turn around sadly and realize this doesn't make any sense. I've dealt with Wayside and it's many unknown mysteries, but this seems to distort reality. Then I imagine more of that divine ice cream and suddenly, another cone appears in my hand. I wrap my lips around it the best I can and start inhaling. Suddenly I hear a familiar voice.

"Maurecia." I pause. It sounds like Todd… but he isn't here. I continue feasting on my frozen treat while I hear my name echo repeatedly. "Maurecia, Maurecia."

I wake up and realize I'm kissing Todd's neck. I slowly look to him and his cheeks are flushed pink. I can't help but blush back at him through this weird situation.

"What are you doing?" He asks coyly as I take my lips off of his neck.

"I'm so sorry." I giggle twice. "I just had a weird dream." Todd raises an eyebrow.

"Did it involve me?" He asks and I shake my head.

"I don't think so." I pause and think real quickly. "I was just sucking on some ice cream when suddenly I heard your voice. It must've been you waking me up." He chuckles.

"Well it was uncomfortable for me at least to see you kissing me in your sleep. It felt good but it sort of freaked me out." I lay on his chest for a second and try to remember the flavor.

"I'm sorry. It just tasted so amazing that I couldn't stop."

"Oh… kay?" He says extremely slowly. "What did it taste like?" I shrug.

"It's really hard to tell off hand. It's not a recognizable flavor within food. But it-" I flinch as a crazy thought runs through my head.

"It what?" He asks curiously. I smile in a menacing way and hold him down on the bed. He blushes deeply. "Maurecia, what are you doing?" I make a teasing grimace.

"Just trying to satisfy my taste buds. They've been very dull lately." I love the embarrassed look on his face. "Please don't move." I say as I place my right hand on the side of his neck. He moves his left arm and places it on my shoulder.

"What are you trying to do?" I frown.

"I thought I asked you to hold still." I say demandingly. His arm drops back to his side. "Thank you. Now, are you ready?" I ask. He sweats a little.

"Ready for what?" I smile widely.

"Ready to serve me?" He frowns slowly.

"Serve you how? What do-" I dive my face down and kiss him powerfully on the lips.

His speech is immediately halted and he shyly kisses back. I drop all the other feelings I have and feel something familiar. The feeling of my tongue in his mouth is bringing back a mysterious memory. When I kiss Todd, I taste that delicious ice cream. Todd is the unknown flavor that I tasted in my dreams? How is that possible? I've never once thought of how kissing him tastes but focused more on the feeling within. I let go of his lips and I notice he's blushing very deeply and smiling shyly.

"Well that was an unexpected experience." I smile flirtatiously.

"You taste like ice cream." He flinches.

"I do?" I nod.

"That unknown flavor I dreamt about was you all along." I get off my knees and get back on him, body to body. "You are now my new favorite food." I say sweetly.

"Alright?" He smiles nervously as I wrap my arms around him.

"Your lips provide me with love."

"Love?" He mumbles.

"Of course!" I exclaim excitedly. "Your lips feed my heart a divine desire within and every time we kiss it restores itself." I lower my eyelids contently. "Do you feel the same way?" Todd stops blushing and chuckles a few times.

"I guess so." I get off of him and slide my clothes on along with my helmet and skates. Todd puts on his favorite blue shirt and we begin our day. Fluffy unexpectedly joins us on the couch.

"And how are you this morning sweetheart?" I ask him. Fluffy purrs contently and jumps into my lap. Todd gives him a suspicious smile.

"Were you the one who hung that mistletoe above the door last night?" Todd asks Fluffy. He giggles a few times and then nods. "You naughty boy." He giggles again as I hug him.

"Oh Fluffy, you're so helpful sometimes. I love how you try to bring me and Todd closer together." Suddenly there's a knock at the door. Todd and I turn our heads in unison. "Did you invite anyone else?" He shakes his head.

"No I didn't. And my parents aren't supposed to be home until tomorrow." The knock is repeated. Todd gets up and heads toward the door. "Well we might as well greet whoever it is." I get up and skate toward the door as well before it opens and two familiar friends appear out there.

"Merry Christmas!" They both exclaim. It's Dana and Myron.

"Myron! Dana!" Todd greets them and holds the door open a little wider. "Please come in." Dana gives Todd a friendly hug and Myron gives him a fist bump. Then they turn towards me. Dana giggles a few times.

"So that's why you weren't at your house?"

"That figures." Myron says in a lower yet happy tone.

"So what brings you guys here?" Todd asks. Dana hangs up her coat and removes her winter boots.

"We wanted to keep you guys company this year." She says while withdrawing a paper. "And invite you to the winter formal." I raise an eyebrow.

"There's a winter formal at Wayside?" I ask.

"Of course." Myron answers. "It's a high school dance for any student of Wayside School. We wanted to make sure you guys remembered." He sets his items aside and sits down on a large chair. Dana sits on the chair across from him as Todd and I take our seat on the couch.

"I thought Kidswatter canceled it." Todd says.

"Me to." I agree. Dana shrugs.

"Well the blizzard didn't begin until last night, but we still got the predicted amount of snow. However, the Wayside School rulebook states that all school events must remain from the minute they're planned." She hands Todd the book.

"I suppose." He says. "Is every student required to go?" Myron laughs.

"If they don't like dancing they don't. But who doesn't like dancing?" Fluffy raises his hand. Myron laughs again. "You brought Fluffy to?" I pick my pet up and stroke his back.

"I wasn't going to just leave him at home. He's my best friend." I turn back to them. "Outside of school." Dana giggles.

"Well we want to go to the school dance and wanted to be sure you came with us." Todd shrugs.

"I didn't really plan on it." He says. "And I don't have a car." Dana smiles.

"My brother Goon is going to drive me and Myron. There's room in the car for two more." Todd and I face each other. Honestly I'm willing to go, but it's Christmas Eve and it doesn't seem right somehow.

"Do you want to go?" He asks me.

"I'm not sure." I say. "I thought it would just be you and me tonight." Fluffy growls. "And Fluffy." Myron speaks up.

"How long have you been at this house Maurecia?" He asks.

"Since Monday morning." I say and they both giggle.

"Well Todd, it sounds like Maurecia really loves you." Dana teases. I blush slightly.

"I think he already knew that." I say defensively. Myron chuckles again.

"Well Christmas time is the time to be with family. Todd's always been family to you." Todd speaks up.

"Okay enough of that." They both laugh. "We got the invitation so now you guys can go." He says as they stop.

"We're in no hurry." Myron says.

"Well, Maurecia and I were enjoying ourselves before you came in. Don't you have more classmates to invite?" Todd asks.

"We don't care if any of them show up." Dana says. "We just wanted to make sure our two best friends did." Todd and I both smile.

"We're your best friends?" I ask.

"By far." Myron states. "And we know you guys are the same way with us." A curious thought comes through my mind.

"Hey Myron." He faces me. "You know Todd and I are in a relationship right?" He nods.

"Yes I do." I face Dana.

"Did you know Dana?"

"Of course. We knew that, and we've had a hunch for a long time that you'd someday get together." Todd sighs.

"But you didn't bother doing anything while Maurecia hit me." I hug him and massage his shoulders.

"We knew we weren't supposed to do anything about it." Dana says. "We figured for the longest time eventually you'd grow out of hurting Todd, or Todd would somehow grow used to it. We were hoping for the former."

"So was I." Todd says. I continue hugging him while Dana continues talking.

"But we did not expect you to try leaving this school." Todd shrugs.

"And to be honest." Myron adds. "I actually got pretty scared of you for a while." I give an offended look.

"Me?" He shakes his head.

"No, Todd." He says. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me because you didn't like me." I sigh.

"I almost hurt you during the Wayside games." He laughs.

"I know." Todd stands up.

"Okay we'll go to the dance. Now can you guys leave us alone?" Todd says firmly. Both of their smiles fade.

"You don't want us around?" Dana asks. Todd shakes his head.

"Not right now." He says. They both give a sad look and stand up.

"Alright, we're sorry we bothered you." Myron says as he heads towards the door with Dana following. I feel kind of sorry for them.

"Wait." I call out and they both stop. "You don't need to leave us right now." Everyone faces me. Dana moves closer to the door.

"No thank you. We can see when we're not wanted." She and Myron both step on the rug in front of the door and grab their coats. I face Todd sadly.

"Oh… never mind." Todd says. They both stop. "You can stay with us for a while if you want." I smile at Todd. Dana gets up.

"We understand boundaries. You guys want more alone time."

"We've already had quite a bit." I say. "And we'll have more la-" I suddenly hear Fluffy giggling pretty loudly. "We'll have more time later." I finish the sentence as Myron stands up.

"We get it. But you're happier without us." Fluffy begins laughing louder. I face him with a questioning look. "What is so funny?" Myron asks as everyone faces Fluffy. Todd turns back to Myron and Dana for a second.

"Oh I get it!" He begins laughing to.

"What is it?" Dana asks. I firmly grab Todd's shoulder.

"Todd, what are you guys laughing at?" I ask demanding as he stops.

"Dana, Myron. Look up." I turn around and they both gasp. They are standing below the mistletoe Fluffy hung up last night. I seductive smile appears on my face.

"Well you two…" I begin to say as Myron and Dana face each other with their jaws wide open. Dana begins blushing. Myron blushes harder, until each time one of their cheeks turn a shade of pink the other one gets deeper. After about ten seconds both of their faces are dark pink to bright red. Todd chuckles again.

"We don't…" Myron mumbles.

"We're… not… you know?" Dana follows. Todd grins in a satisfying way and stands behind Dana.

"According to yuletide festive rules, whenever two people of similar sexuality stand under mistletoe, they must kiss each other on the lips." Todd says as I smile and fold my arms.

"I think I'm Jewish." Myron says nervously.

"Are you?" I ask.

"…No." Myron admits. Dana faces us again.

"This is extremely weird all of a sudden." Todd grins.

"You're only making it weirder the longer you wait." They face each other again. "Do it." Dana gulps. Myron shrieks high pitched, quietly. They both pucker up slowly and Dana pulls Myron's lips into hers. Myron looks ready to stop right away but Dana doesn't let go yet. She holds his face to hers and doesn't quickly stop. Myron whimpers somewhat desperately and eyes Todd. Todd gives him a thumbs up before Dana lets go.

"Was that alright?" Dana asks nervously.

"Oh." Myron says weakly before falling backward on the ground and fainting.

"Oops." Dana says. "Are you alright Myron?" Todd and I both begin laughing hard.

"You knocked him out!" I exclaim as I continue. Dana's face is still bright pink.

"How'd you feel about that?" Todd asks. Dana stutters a little.

"We-well, that wa-was my first k-kiss." I raise an eyebrow.

"And how did it taste?" I ask and she shrugs.

"I don't know. It was hard to tell." Todd kneels and taps Myron a few times.

"Come on buddy wake up." Myron slowly regains consciousness. I continue.

"Earlier I kissed Todd and realized he was my taste." Dana's eyes widen a little.

"Really?" I nod.

"Is Myron your taste?" She shivers a little.

"I can't tell." She says as I point his direction.

"Only one way to tell." Her eyebrows scrunch.

"You're right!" She says firmly as she approaches Myron.

"Oh." He says weakly as Dana grabs his arms. "Dana? What did you do to-" She slams her lips onto his and he shuts up. I step a little closer.

"That's right Dana. Really savor the flavor." She continues as Myron eyes Todd again.

"You dawg!" Todd exclaims. Dana ends the kiss.

"Wow." Dana mumbles as Myron slowly stands up. "I do like the flavor." Myron faces her still blushing deeply.

"What flavor?" He asks. I prepare for a monologue.

"Last night I had a dream with a familiar flavored ice cream cone. It tasted really delicious and somehow, unidentifiable." Todd smiles. "When I woke up I kissed Todd and that exact same flavor made its way back to my mouth. Todd is the one who feeds my heart." Myron faces Dana again as she looks down.

"I never looked at it that way." She says as she shyly faces him again. "I did like what I tasted." Myron is sweating a lot.

"You did?" Todd pats his back.

"Relax pal. No need to be overwhelmed." Dana takes Myron's hand for a second and his jaw drops again.

"Myron…" Her face brightens up and regains confidence. "Will you be my date to the winter formal?" Todd and I both smile largely and face Myron.

"Well I… I kind of… I sort of…" Todd pats him.

"Just say it pal!" Myron takes a deep breath in.

"Yes." He mumbles in a high pitched voice. A heartwarming smile appears on Dana's face.

"Okay then." She kisses his right cheek and he almost faints again. "I can't wait." She hugs him tightly. A joyful tear rolls out of my left eye. This is very cute to me. Myron suddenly regains his strength.

"I can't wait either!" He hugs her back. Todd turns towards me looking proud.

"How do you like that?" He asks me.

"I think they're adorable together." I grab his arm. "Almost as much as you and me!" I pull Todd's face in and give him a powerful kiss of my own. Dana and Myron stop momentarily and face us.

"Wow." Dana says. "Is that what love feels like?" Myron shrugs.

"I guess so." They stand closer to us as our lips move. "How can it get so intense?" He asks.

"I have no idea." Dana responds. Todd and I stop.

"Love is very strong and powerful isn't it?" I ask Todd.

"No doubt." He faces them. "What do you guys feel?" They face each other shyly.

"Well…" Dana says slowly. "I'm not sure." Todd pats Myron on the shoulder.

"Get a grip pal. What do you think?" Myron pauses and blushes.

"I think Dana has beautiful eyes." Dana smiles.

"Really?" She asks as Myron starts showing some confidence.

"I think you're glasses make them twice as beautiful." He says sincerely. "I never really thought about it before, but your eyes are very gorgeous and your analytical tone always sooths me somehow." Dana gasps happily.

"Wow Myron." She cries a tear. "And I think you're super cute!" Myron gives a humble smile.

"But you've never told me that. You told Normy he was cute though." Dana faces him.

"Normy doesn't have any of the traits you have. Your qualities are on a much higher level than his!" Myron's smile widens.

"Are you serious?" He asks as she nods happily. "That's really cool." Todd lowers an eyebrow.

"Kiss her you fool." He says. Myron's nervousness fades quickly as he faces Dana once more and kisses her intentionally. I put my hand on Todd's shoulder as he wraps his arm around me.

"They're really cute aren't they?" I ask.

"They really are." Todd responds then he turns toward me. "Do you think they're perfect for one another?" I nod.

"They're like you and me." I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him. "I can't wait to see them on the dance floor later." Todd grins.

"Neither can I babe." The kissing stops. It's nice to see them getting together for a change.

"I'm glad you didn't kick them out." I tell him.

"Me to Maurecia. I'm glad they stayed."

 **Author's Note: Well there you go. A little unexpected romance to spice the story up a little. Stay tuned for more. Goodnight.**


	10. Formal Festivity

Formal Festivity

 **Author's Note: To those of you wondering, I'd mentioned the story gets questionably explicit closer to the end. This may be the last** **X** **T rated chapter of the story. So after this one read on at your own risk. But for now have fun :)**

Maurecia's POV

The day went by fairly smoothly. It was nice to have a little company on top of just me and Todd. Myron spent most of the day playing video games with Todd while Dana and I got a little deeper into our own lives. Closer to the six o clock hour, they're still doing their thing while we talk. I'm making a special jambalaya recipe my mom taught me how to make in the meantime.

"What is that you're making?" Dana asks. "It smells delicious." I smile proudly.

"Well thank you Dana. My mom makes it for me on special occasions. It's really tasty." She smiles curiously.

"What is it made of?" I roll my eyes and think of the ingredients.

"Some squash, zucchini, onions, tomato sauce, black beans, chicken, white rice, shrimp, and a couple chicken sausages." It's a pretty tasty combination overall. Dana licks her lips.

"I can't wait to feast on that dish. You're quite the chef Maurecia." I blush slightly.

"Awe. Thanks Dana. You're such a polite person." I say as I stir the items.

"So Maurecia, how long have you been at this house?" I pause for a second.

"Uh, since Monday morning."

"Ooh. It sounds like you couldn't leave Todd alone." I chuckle twice.

"No I really couldn't." Fluffy jumps onto the counter. "I couldn't leave Fluffy alone either."

"Awe, come here Fluffy." Fluffy rolls over and she begins stroking his stomach. "When did he get so mature?" I roll my eyes.

"Since I learned that porcupines don't hibernate." She frowns in a confused manner.

"You didn't already know that?" I shake my head.

"I do now and that's all that matters." I put on a pair of oven mitts and remove the giant pot of meat and vegetables from the stove. "Could you call Todd and Myron for me please?" She nods and steps out.

"Boys, dinner's ready!" She calls out.

"Can we finish the game first?" Myron answers.

"No need, I'm already way ahead of you." Todd says in a hearty voice. I just roll my eyes and set the table. About three minutes later we're all sitting down on four opposite sides of a rectangular table.

"So, who won?" I ask them curiously. Todd points a thumb at himself.

"I was running circles around Myron." Myron frowns.

"It's only in Call of Duty. Not like you'd beat me in a sports game." Todd laughs.

"In reality I would. You don't do sports." Myron raises an eyebrow.

"But in reality would you become a mercenary?" Todd shrugs.

"I don't want to kill anyone. But I bet I'd be good at it if I wanted to." Dana picks up her fork.

"Okay, video games are over now, let's get back into reality." I nod in satisfaction as Myron scoops up some rice and beans.

"So what kind of meal is this?" He asks curiously.

"It's one of the best meals my mom makes for me." I respond proudly. "Try it." Todd takes a bite.

"Mm! That is an outstanding flavor!" I blush slightly. Todd has divine manners and always knows how to make my day.

"Thank you Todd. I really appreciate the compliment." He winks at me.

"It is a pretty delicious dish." Dana says before taking a bite of chicken. "Who taught you how to cook?"

"My mom. She makes dinner for us every night before working the night shift." Myron takes a small bite and reflexively frowns.

"It's too hot." He says disinterested. Todd chuckles.

"So were you when you had that sticky bomb attached to you." Dana laughs.

"That's a good one Todd!" She exclaims. "But you really should eat it Myron." Myron shrugs.

"I don't like squash." I roll my eyes.

"Then take the squash out."

"I don't like zucchini either." Dana glares at him.

"Myron. Don't be a poor guest. Try a bit with meat and vegetables!" She shouts as he timidly picks up his fork and shoves a bite filled with rice into his mouth.

"Mm." He hums slowly. My smile enlightens.

"Did you like it Myron?" He smiles meekly and nods.

"It's not bad. It is a little hot though." I can't disagree with him. I cooked it at four hundred degrees and it's only been off the stove for five minutes.

"That's fair. I'm just glad you like it." I take a bite of my own and feel at home again. I feel like I'm enjoying a quality dinner with my family members. I see no difference in a loving sibling and my closest friends. Luckily I think Todd is thinking the same thing.

"Do you guys think we'll have night's like this again in the future?" Everyone pauses and stares at Todd. Myron grins.

"If the food is this good, then we better do it every night." I smile at him. "It's a true masterpiece." He takes a bite of squash and somehow enjoys it.

"Thanks Myron." I turn to Dana. "How about you?" She smiles and looks around the table at me, then Myron, and then Todd.

"I hope when we're all adults we're still friends. I can't imagine any future's left at this point where you two aren't together." Todd and I face each other. They he speaks up.

"I actually can't either." He says. "I've dreamt beautiful dreams the past couple of nights with you involved." I give him a dainty smile as he continues. "Having you in my arms has given me a new level of consciousness while I sleep. And… I've had a lot of fond memories with you Maurecia." Dana and Myron's jaws lower in an awe-like manner. "And, I really love you."

"Awe!" Dana says in a high pitched voice. "The intensity of your heart cannot be overpowered by anything!" Myron shrugs.

"I didn't know that level of love was reachable." He says. "What do you think Maurecia?" I stare into Todd's beautiful eyes for a few seconds.

"I think I love you just as much Todd." Myron and Dana smile in unison. "And I'm so proud to have gotten to spend time with you this week."

"I'm happy to hear that." He says. Dana finishes her meal first.

"That was very good Maurecia. I'd give it fifteen out of ten." I smile.

"Thanks a lot." I say happily. "I really appreciate that." Todd finishes second.

"I wish we got together a little sooner. You really know what you're doing with food." I chuckle.

"Thank you Todd." A couple minutes later Myron finishes.

"They're not wrong Maurecia. You have a real future in cooking." I shrug.

"Come on, I'm not that good now am I?" Myron nods.

"You should be Wayside's chef. Mrs. Mush could use an apprentice like you in the kitchen with her."

"Seconded." Todd agrees.

"Agreed." Dana adds. I finish my own meal then Todd does the dishes.

"What can I say?" I ask. "It was a pleasure cooking for you guys."

"And it was a privilege getting to eat your meal." Dana says. Myron nods in agreement. A minute later Todd finishes the plates and pot and rejoins us.

"I sure hope in five years when we're all in college or wherever we are, we can still enjoy a quality meal with one another every once in a while." All three of us smile and face Todd.

"That's a great idea!" Myron exclaims. "We should do this at least once every week in the future yet to come."

"I'm in." Todd says. Dana closes her eyes for a second.

"I love you guys." She says. "You three are the best friends anyone could ask for and I hope we still spend time together in forty years." I shrug.

"Why not? I don't want us to drift apart after graduation either." I say as Myron holds his arms out.

"Group hug!" He shouts. Dana and I hug him. Todd wraps his arms around all three of us.

"To friendship." He says.

"TO FRIENDSHIP!" We all shout at once.

About thirty minutes later Goon picks us up and we're at the school. None of us followed any kind of dress code and the main reason is because I left all my fancy items at home and Todd didn't want to be the only one wearing a fancy vest or something.

"Thanks for the ride Goon." Dana says with gratitude.

"No problem Yodana. Have fun." He says as he rolls his windows up and drives away.

"So, what floor is the party on?" Todd asks.

"Twenty five." Dana responds. It's going to be a long walk for some people but I brought my skates with me.

We spend the next ten minutes getting to the twenty fifth floor and on the way in we see Louis outside of the door.

"Todd, Maurecia, Dana, and Myron, welcome to the party!" He holds his hand out.

"Oh yeah!" Todd high fives him. I just wave politely.

"So, what brings you here?" He asks.

"We're here for a night of pure excitement and festivity." Dana says. Myron shrugs.

"I'm mostly here for the free snacks." We all stare at him. "But I'm also here to dance!"

"That's the spirit!" Louis exclaims as he holds his arms inward of the room. "Please come inside." Todd, Dana, and Myron enter and then Louis taps me on the shoulder. I turn around.

"What is it?" He smiles.

"Are you and Todd going to do some slow dancing tonight?" I nod.

"Hopefully as long as my wheels don't screw it up." He laughs.

"Okay Maurecia. Have fun."

"Thanks Louis." I enter the dance floor and it's filled with many high schoolers. Though, no freshman other than me and Todd, and Dana and Myron are together. It looks like most of the juniors and seniors have dates.

"Hey Maurecia." Todd says abruptly as he points at a couple. "Look who's here!" It's my brother Parker and a girl from our church choir. I'm pretty surprised because he never told me he had a girlfriend. They spot us and walk over.

"What's up sis?" Parker asks while the girl waves.

"Not much." I say.

"Hey, you're Todd right?" His date asks. Todd nods.

"Yes I am, I didn't know you were Parker's date." He says.

"And I didn't know you were his sister's date." She turns to me. "I'm Ellie." She introduces herself and holds out her right hand.

"I'm Maurecia." I say as I shake her hand. "Parker never mentioned a girlfriend." He chuckles.

"We just got together a couple of nights ago. I told Todd about this." I turn to Todd.

"So you knew?" He nods. "But you didn't tell me?" He holds his hands up defensively.

"Parker wanted me to keep it a secret." Parker pounds me playfully on the shoulder.

"Look at us, I'm dating the smartest girl in school and you're dating the smartest boy." Ellie giggles and Todd gives a humble smile.

"I know. It sounds like we're the successful ones."

"No doubt." Todd says.

"Not false." Ellie agrees. Parker chuckles a couple of times.

"Are you two participating in the Mistletoe event?" A confused look appears on both of our faces.

"The Mistletoe event?" I ask. They both nod.

"What's that?" Todd asks. Ellie speaks up.

"Mrs. Jewls is hiding in certain spots of the gym under cover and she's getting snapshots of couple's kissing." My eyes widen. "At the end of the night, whatever couple does the best kiss gets their photo taken for the yearbook as 'cutest couple'." Todd and I stare at each other for a second.

"They're taking snapshots of students kissing?" He asks. "That sounds kind of awkward."

"I agree." I say. Parker shrugs.

"It could be aimed more for the seniors but anyone is eligible. Freshman can do it to you know?" Todd pauses for a second.

"What do you say?" Ellie asks.

"I think I'd like to speak to Mr. Kidswatter first." I nod.

"I think that's a good idea." I agree. They both shrug.

"Suit yourself." Parker says. "Come here you!" They kiss each other powerfully. Todd's jaw drops open.

"What?" I ask him. Todd snaps out of it.

"Let's go." He grabs my arm and pulls me with him.

"Did you see something?" I ask curiously. He gives me a disturbed look.

"How many girls has Parker kissed in his lifetime?" My eyebrows lower.

"Zero." Todd face palms. "Ellie's his first girl."

"Have you noticed how good he is at it?" I shrug.

"Unless it's a result of drinking a can of soda every day that allowed his lips to dilate and contract that well, then I don't really have any clue." Todd lets go of me.

"Well, I'm going to find Mr. Kidswatter." He says as he leaves the room.

"Okay, good luck." I tell him as I turn around to a bright flash of light in my face. "Ah!" I react.

"Nice pose Maurecia." It's Mrs. Jewls. Why am I not surprised?

"What are you doing Mrs. Jewls?" She smiles.

"I'm the photographer of the night. And I hope to get a snapshot of you and Todd by the end." I frown and blush slightly.

"Mrs. Jewls, you have to admit it's a little creepy to take a photo of two people kissing." She shrugs.

"I'm not the judge of that. I just take the photos. But if you don't want to be nominated then I won't take any of you and Todd." I give her a thumbs up.

"Okay thank you." Her smile enlarges a little.

"Just know that if you do win, you and Todd take the title of 'cutest couple' for this year's yearbook. And I think you two are the cutest students I've ever had." I guess I never knew that.

"I thought you said you loved and adored all your students equally." She nods.

"Yes Maurecia, but you and Todd are the only ones who are actually a couple. I'd love to see you two in the yearbook with the cutest couple title." I smile shyly.

"Okay, let me talk to Todd first." I walk away and bump into someone dressed as Santa. "Oh!" I react upon crashing. The man turns around and chuckles.

"Ho, ho, ho!" It's Mr. Kidswatter. "Merry Christmas Maurecia!" He pats me on the helmet. "Have you been a good girl this year?" I raise an eyebrow and shrug.

"Maybe?" I say slowly. "I mean I didn't punch Todd a single time this year." He lights up.

"Ho, ho, ho! That's good to hear. I never thought of how close you two might be this time of year." I roll my eyes. "Are you two still together?"

"Yes." I say slightly annoyed.

"That's great news! Now's the time to be together!" I grunt quietly until he picks it up. "Is something the matter Maurecia?" I fold my arms.

"Yeah, I'd like to know why a couple's kiss is something that needs to be documented for the whole school to see." He chuckles.

"Okay, it's that time of year again with mistletoe everywhere. This is a night everyone should remember and so that kiss that the cutest couple shares, may be a symbol of the future reflecting their eternal love." My eyes widen.

"Is that the expectation?" He shakes his head.

"No Maurecia, it isn't. But who knows? If Todd were to ever break up with you, wouldn't you want something to remember him by?" I shake my head.

"I think if Todd broke up with me, looking back to him would only hurt me even further." He nods.

"Fair enough, but what if you had a forbidden love?" I give him a confused look.

"How?"

"What if Todd had AIDs? Kissing him could spread that to you and you'd both be at risk for early demise." I shiver a little.

"I don't think he'd break up with me, we could always hug each other." He raises an eyebrow.

"I see, but didn't you once say you'd refuse to have children with anyone other than the boy of your dreams?" My eyes widen and I blush a little.

"You weren't supposed to hear me say that." He nods.

"My apology." He admits. "You're both freshmen right now and the event is more for the juniors and seniors anyways." That's a relief. "But just know, we've never had a freshman couple in the yearbook before because nobody around age fourteen or fifteen can show that they care enough. The cutest couple is not all about who kisses the best, but also about the couple and how much they care about one another." He pats my shoulder one more time. "But no matter what you and Todd choose, tonight is for you. It was a chance to see all your friends one last time before next year begins." A smile slowly forms on my face. "Merry Christmas Maurecia."

"Merry Christmas Mr. Kidswatter." I say passionately as he walks away.

"You kids have fun!" He enters the room. Todd walks back out.

"Maurecia, we need to talk about this event and if it's wo-" I pull him in and kiss him. He immediately shuts up upon that happening and kisses back. Then I stop.

"Was that cute?" I ask, he nods nervously.

"I think so." He says.

"But I'll never know for sure how we look while we're kissing since my eyes are always closed." He blushes nervously.

"We can always get Dana to get a picture." I give a mockingly nervous-sad expression.

"But what happens if we break the camera or lose the picture?" I roll closer to him slowly as his cheeks turn redder and redder.

"Maybe we get multiple copies of the picture?"

"But how? Analog cameras lose quality via copying. I want to look at a lifelike image in plain sight." He gulps.

"You don't mean…" I nod. "You want to participate in the Mistletoe event?" I smile slowly.

"Now you get it."

"But, I thought you said it wouldn't be right to keep a photo of our kiss for everyone to keep." I nod.

"Yes I did, but we'd be the youngest couple the school has ever seen. Besides," I get in his face. "Don't you think I'm cute?" He sweats a little.

"Ye-yes." He stammers.

"And I think you're the most adorable boy on this planet. So what's wrong with showing others our cuteness?" He shrugs.

"It's something we'll have to live with the rest of our lives." I nod.

"I'm well aware. But it's something I'd like to try out, besides, who knows for sure if we're going to win?"

"Maybe because Mrs. Jewls likes us the most?" I shrug.

"What about Myron and Dana? They're her students to." He nods.

"Yeah but they're not necessarily together yet are they?" I approach him again.

"I don't know. But we are a couple and we shouldn't be ashamed of it." Todd turns his eyes over.

"I don't know if we should do it in public." He says nervously but understandably.

"I understand Todd, but we did kiss in front of Mrs. Jewls's entire class." He nods.

"I know that, but we were eighth graders at the time. Now we're freshmen and the freshmen generally are easy targets to anyone older than us to pick on." I frown slightly.

"Okay, we're halfway into our freshman year, name one person in the entire school whose ever bullied you." He raises his index finger and opens his mouth. "Besides me!" I quickly realize, and he pauses.

"No one." He admits.

"That's what I thought. And I would love to at least try to be recognized as a member of the cutest couple." I take his hand. "With you." I give him puppy eyes. He sighs slowly.

"I'll think about it." I nod.

"Okay then, let's dance!" I pull Todd onto the dance floor and we party for three hours. Doing both normal and slow paced songs. The slow songs were done with Todd's arms around my back and my hands on his shoulders. By the time the night is finally over Mr. Kidswatter takes the podium.

"Ho, ho, ho!" He exclaims. "Merry Christmas students of all ages! It's been a wonderful night to have you all here, and now it's almost 10:00 and I'd like to wrap up the final call for tonight's Mistletoe Event." I turn to Todd who looks very scared. Then back to Kidswatter.

"The current cutest couple is Parker and Ellie." I see my brother hold his arm in the air as Ellie waves, there is also some applause by the other students. After the applause fades he proceeds.

"Unless of course any students would like to make a final smooch before we close up shop. Now Louis!" Louis pulls a lever and large mistletoe appears from the ceiling. Students gasp and awe at the marvelous plant. "Anyone want to do it?" To my surprise a familiar voice speaks up.

"We will!" Dana exclaims. Myron smiles and waves.

"You bet!" I fold my arms and whisper to Todd.

"They won't win, they've never kissed anyone before today." Todd nods.

"You've got that right." Until they pull each other's face in. Immediately I'm astonished and everyone around us falls silent until it's over. Mrs. Jewls takes a snapshot and upon looking at it she falls silent as well.

"That, was adorable." Mr. Kidswatter says slowly. "You guys are the new couple."

"WHAT?" Todd and I both exclaim in unison and stare at each other.

"Will there be any more couples tonight?" Kidswatter asks. I glare at Todd with determination.

"They're going to be the first freshman couple ever." Todd's glare becomes what looks like an evil grin.

"No way." He grabs my wrist. "We cannot lose to them!"

"No we can't." I agree. He pulls me into the center.

"Mr. Kidswatter!" Todd shouts. I can feel my heart pulsating at this point in time.

"Yes Todd?" Todd's eyebrows lower.

"Maurecia and I would like one shot to be the cutest couple of the year." He looks around. "Is everyone okay with that?" Parker gives him a thumbs up.

"Go for it!" He says. Todd grabs me and we stare into each other's eyes for a second.

"You ready?" He asks.

"I'm not sure." I say shyly. He gives a determined look.

"We're ready!" He exclaims. "Mrs. Jewls?" Mrs. Jewls gives him a thumbs up. I begin sweating a little.

"Todd, I'm having second thoughts." I say nervously. Todd gets a grip.

"Maurecia, I love you." I'm touched. But to my surprise he immediately pulls my face in directly after that and all I can do is open my mouth and allow it to happen. Mrs. Jewls snaps the photo as we both close our eyes and continue. After a solid twenty seconds, we finish the kiss.

"Now what did you want to ask me?" He asks openly. I'm about to cry.

"I love you to." I say. There is suddenly a lot of applause.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Kidswatter exclaims. "We have a winning pair!" Mrs. Jewls hands him the photo. "Good job you two." I smile at my beloved boyfriend. Louis walks out.

"Whoa! That was the best kiss I've ever seen." Todd chuckles. "Who taught you how to kiss like that Todd?" Todd grins and points his thumb at me.

"Maurecia did." There's a real surprise. Louis faces me.

"And who taught you Maurecia?" I point at Todd.

"Todd did." He pats us both on the shoulder.

"Well that was an Oscar worthy kiss for a T.V. show. Good job you two." All I do is smile and stare at Todd. He stares back at me.

About twenty minutes later we make it back to Todd's house, but when we open the door it's fairly chilly on the inside and pitch black.

"Uh, Todd." He faces me. "Did you turn the thermostat off before we left?" I ask him.

"No, I didn't." He says as he withdraws his cell phone and turns on the light. "We must've lost the power to the blizzard." He starts heading toward the basement, I follow him. When we get to the bottom Todd grabs a lighter and lights a weird looking lantern. Upon being lighten it illuminates the entire room.

"Wow!" I marvel at the bright light. Todd gives an egotistical grin.

"Pretty cool huh?" I nod.

"Oh yes. Did you make that?" He nods.

"Yes I did. It's got many reflective chambers that amplify light and then multiply it all around the inside."

"That is so cool!" I exclaim excitedly. Todd grabs his electron generator.

"Now all we have to do is start this device and we'll have heat again." I clap a few times.

"Oh goody!" He presses a button and it doesn't start.

"Huh?" He presses the button firmly and it still doesn't start. "What the hell?" I'm pretty confused myself.

"What's wrong with it?" I ask nervously as he stammers and shakes his head a few times.

"I-I have no clue? I-it's supposed to rotate via the electrons it was programmed with! But it's like all of the electrons are gathered in one place as opposed to the whole device." My pupils shrink.

"Uh oh." I mumble and Todd's glare appears on his face.

"Did you do something to my generator Maurecia?" He asks sternly. I'm a little scared to answer.

"Well… not intentionally." He holds his hand up and next to his shoulder. "I accidently dropped one of your magnets on it." He face palms.

"How long did you leave it there?" He asks with a small tone of rage in his voice.

"From Tuesday to Wednesday morning." I tell the truth. He sighs really loud and really long.

"Maurecia, if you leave a magnet on an electronic device it will take in all of the electrons to one spot and then it disrupts the current!" I face palm.

"I didn't know that." He frowns.

"Why didn't you tell me you dropped a magnet on the generator?" He looks really mad.

"I didn't know what harm it could do." He sighs really slowly in a stressed tone. "I'm really sorry." A tear falls out of his eye.

"It's fine Maurecia." He turns away from me. "You didn't know and you didn't bother doing something about it." He pushes the generator over in frustration. "I guess we'll just have to go to bed now in a cold house with no heat." I feel really guilty. "Let's go, Fluffy's probably already asleep." He picks up the lantern and starts walking, I subtly skate behind him.

"Are you mad at me Todd?" He faces me and he's crying.

"No Maurecia." He says in a broken voice. "I'm not mad. And I'm sorry I got angry a second ago." He faces the stairs and begins climbing them as I follow him. "I just don't know if I'm going to have a good night's sleep in this already cold house." A really crazy thought goes through my mind, this thought isn't something I had in mind before but seeing Todd's mood right now makes me think I might need to use it.

"Todd…" I say quietly. He turns around and wipes the tears off his face.

"Yeah babe?" He says while shivering slightly.

"I think I know how to fix this." I say.

"My generator?" He asks and I shake my head.

"Not your generator, but I think I know a way we can still enjoy our night and not worry about the cold." His crying stops.

"Alright. What is your plan?" I stop to think for a second if this is a good idea or not.

"You'll see. First I need to use the restroom." I skate into the bathroom.

"For what?" He asks.

"You'll need to wait a minute!" I say nervously as I stop and sit on the floor. This isn't something I thought would happen, but now I think I need to make it better. I know I can trust Todd… but the question is. Is he ready for what I'm about to throw at him?

 **Author's Note: End of scene. Goodnight readers. I apologize for this one taking longer, but I'm not quite done with the story yet. And again, please note the next chapter will exceed the average T rating standards. Hope you enjoyed so far :)**


	11. Sanguine Heat Source

Sanguine Heat Source

 **Author's Note: Warning! I'd mentioned the story would get closer to the M rating closer to the end. It begins here… but who am I kidding? If you came this far you were probably looking forward to this. Well, here you go. Please enjoy.**

Todd's POV

Maurecia just went into the bathroom and I don't know what to expect next. She said she had a plan to fix this night and I'm assuming she means finding a new source of heat, but I don't think she has any battery operated lightbulbs or an extra blanket on her. I set the lantern down and step a little closer to the door.

"Are you almost done in there?" I ask through the door.

"Please don't rush me cutie pie, this isn't easy for me to do." I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you constipated?" She sighs.

"I'm not using the toilet. I'm just trying to get comfortable." I roll my eyes.

"I'd like to do the same. But are you going to join me?" I hear her tone drop to a sadness level.

"Todd, I'm really nervous about this, but I hope you're sanguine about this." I'm immediately greatly surprised at her use of the word 'sanguine.' She's imploring me to be optimistic over what could be a difficult task for her. What that task is, I don't know, but her intellect is turning me on.

"Okay sweetie." I giggle twice. "I'll be cheerfully optimistic to whatever it is you have in mind." I walk back over to the chair, sit down, and stare at the illuminator. It's a lantern I put together with a bunch of even prisms to amplify the light. After a couple of minutes I hear the door open and I get up, taking the lantern with me.

"Alright babe, are you ready?" She only steps one foot out of the door, I notice she's not wearing her skate on that foot.

"I think so." She says shyly. I've never heard her so nervous before. "Could you just close your eyes for a second please?" I shrug.

"As you wish." I close my eyes and hear her quiet footsteps. But they are footsteps and not wheels so I know she doesn't have either skate on. "Can I look now?" I ask politely. I hear her gulp.

"Y-yeah. Go ahead." I open my eyes and immediately my pupils dilate. I almost drop the valuable lantern due to quickly losing all the muscle control I have. Maurecia is just standing there with a pair of panties on, but literally nothing else. She removed her bra while she was in the bathroom and now she's revealing her well developing breasts to my very eyes. I can feel my heart begin to pound strongly against my ribcage and my body temperature rises to the sheer intensity of this view. She's so damn gorgeous! I'm losing the grip I usually have on my brain cells. Seeing her beautiful body in plain sight is extremely overwhelming to me.

"Well Todd." She's shivering. "What do you think?" I quickly regain mental consciousness and look up at her face. Her cheeks are red as ever and she's so embarrassed she's not even facing me. She's holding her head to the left as if she's too scared to make eye contact with me. She really needs comforting.

"Maurecia." I say peacefully as she slowly looks up. A smile appears on my face, not a perverted one, but a sensationally proud smile. "I think you're very beautiful." She begins smiling slowly.

"Really Todd?" She looks ready to cry. I nod.

"I'm serious." I step a little closer. "I understand you didn't want to tell me about the magnet because you didn't want to lose trust with me right?" She nods.

"Well, yes." I continue.

"So now you want to make me feel better by giving me more options in bed right?" She blushes even deeper.

"We-well, I never thought it'd be like that." I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I'm kidding Maurecia." Her scared look fades. "You're not doing this because you're feeling guilty or sorry for yourself for hurting my generator. You thought I couldn't trust to anymore, and now to show your sincerity, you're showing your level of trust." She finally makes eye contact with me.

"I am?" I nod compassionately.

"Yes. You're revealing to me that you trust me with your body, and that's something you don't do to anyone unless they are very special to you." I caress her cheeks with both of my hands and stare into her beautiful eyes. "And to tell you the truth, you are very special to me." Tears begin forming in her eyes. "So you don't need to worry about hiding your feelings or feeling ashamed, because I love you a lot, and right now, there's no one else around." She responds.

"What about Fluffy?" I roll my eyes.

"He's asleep, and knowing porcupines in winter, he won't bother waking up easily." She begins smiling.

"Okay, but still, is this too much for you?" I shake my head.

"Maurecia, I promise I won't do anything to hurt you and there isn't any reason for you to be embarrassed." We make eye contact and her smile matches mine. "You don't need to be afraid while you're around me, because I love you for who you are and what you're capable of. And I promise you that none of those feelings you have for me in any conceivable romantic way, are feelings you need to be worried about hiding from me." She slowly begins hugging me. "Father Wilbur said, at our age we begin developing emotional thoughts and they could be considered sexual." I begin stroking her bare back. "But he says as long as we truly care about one another, it's not considered a sin." She kisses my neck very lightly. "So, if you're honest about your feelings with me, no matter what they are, I promise I'll be cheerfully optimistic to compromising them."

"You really are a true romantic Todd." I smile.

"I'm also sanguine about my feelings." She kisses my cheek.

"Then I promise from now on, I'll be sanguine of mine around you to." I kiss her forehead.

"That's my girl." I turn towards the stairs. "Shall we go to bed now?" She nods.

"Yes please. It's super cold in here." I smile.

"Then let's get you warmed up." I say as I take her hand and we both walk peacefully up my stairs. This is the first time she's ever taken her skates of in the house outside of bed. But that doesn't matter anymore. Before we enter I set the lantern down and pause.

"What is it?" Maurecia asks.

"I think we should move Fluffy somewhere else." I say concerned. She nods.

"Fluffy's never seen me with no bra on either, I think he might have a nervous breakdown." I step in my room real slowly and pick up the small bed containing the resting porcupine. When I make in downstairs I hear him yawn and move around a little. I slowly stroke his back.

"It's only me, Todd." He hums contently. "The power went out and right now we're just giving it a rest, hope you don't mind sleeping here tonight."

"Mm, mm." He agrees. I smile and tickle his cheek a little.

"Alright, goodnight Fluffy." He purrs and slowly falls back asleep. I make my way back into my room and Maurecia is waiting for me in my bed.

"Are you ready for the best night of your life?" She asks blushing and winking. I smile happily.

"Of course." She removes her helmet and sets it aside.

"Remember last year when you promised me a night alone for just the two of us?" I nod.

"I've thought about that every day ever since it happened." I remove my shirt, pants, and socks. Right now a pair of underwear is the only article of clothing either of us has on. I enter the bed beside her and get under the covers.

"Thanks for joining me Todd, I was getting kind of chilly." She wraps her warm arms around me, I begin to feel a little warmer already.

"It's always my pleasure." I hug her back. The heat between us rises as our bodies nestle against one another. Maurecia moans subtly once we begin snuggling.

"I love the warm feeling of your bare chest." She says seductively. I blush a little.

"I feel the exact same way." I respond. Suddenly she jerks up a teensy bit.

"Todd, I'm a little surprised I've been topless for this long and you haven't touched my chest yet." I feel my heart begin to beat much quicker and my neck begins sweating.

"We-well, I've just been really… shy about this so far." I mutter. Maurecia lowers her eyebrows gently, giving me the most seductive smile I've ever seen before.

"You don't need to be shy Todd, you told me earlier that I shouldn't feel embarrassed around you." My face turns really bright red. "So I'd prefer it if you reciprocated the feeling." I feel ready to nosebleed. "I massaged your chest the other day, I think it'd be fair if you massaged mine in return." I feel really close to fainting. All this unexpected sexual feeling is making me very light headed. With a sudden gain in confidence, I gently touch the right side of her chest with my cold hand. She shivers a little upon contact.

"Sorry." I apologize. "Should I warm my hands up first?" She gains a warm smile all of a sudden.

"Your innocence is really turning me on cutie pie." She giggles twice. "But don't worry about me, I want to warm you up as quick as possible, and the most effective way to do that is if we both share what warmth our body has to offer with one another."

I'm really getting feverish on the inside from all this. I quickly rub my hands together really fast to generate some static within them. After about twenty seconds I gently replace them on her. She smiles at me as I gently massage her already warm chest. I can feel my heart pulsating powerfully from all this tension. And I really can't believe how overwhelming it is for me but somehow, it seems all to be expected from her. I stop for a moment inside my head and a flash of confidence runs through my cerebral cortex. I remove my hands from her chest and she turns her head slightly looking confused.

"What's wrong Todd, are you-" Before she can finish that sentence I playfully tackle her on the bed and hold her arms down. "Whoa!" She's suddenly surprised. "Todd, you move so quickly!" I raise an eyebrow.

"Is that a good thing?" I ask grinning menacingly. She blushes deeply and nods.

"It's so hot seeing you move so quickly." She says as she looks to both her sides, realizing I've got her pinned down. "But what's this all about?" I give her a semi evil grin.

"It would seem you planned this night out pretty well, I thought this would overwhelm you at least as much, if not more than it overwhelms me. So I'm turning the tables on you." She shivers nervously yet still smiling cutely and innocently.

"Okay sweetie, but what are you planning on doing next?" I grin.

"I don't know, I'd like to wing it." She gasps slowly.

"You don't wing things Todd, you always plan and prepare for them in advance."

"Well I'm willing to be, sanguine, of this night." Her pupils dilate and contract by the second. She looks so scared all of a sudden, but this scared look is only making me feel better. I feel like I'm in total control of what happens next. I quickly plop my legs down and lower my body till it's lightly above hers. I only weigh 106 which is rather light for a freshman, but I'm sure Maurecia's either a little lighter or about the same since she burns off so many calories. So I try to be gentle over her.

"What are you doing Todd?" She asks nervously. I give her a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry Maurecia, I'll be gentle."

I hug her tightly, allowing both of our bodies to make full direct contact; I slowly reach behind her head and remove her ribbon.

"You don't like the ponytail?" She asks.

"I do, I just wanted to try something new." I whisper then continue

I slowly stroke her hair gently with my fingers. It's super soft and it smells divine. I proceed and rub her shoulders while she kisses my neck. The feeling of her lips on my neck alone is bringing me an unfamiliar rush of emotional energy. My desire for Maurecia is ever growing! I slide my hands into her two armpits and firmly stroke the front of her clavicles with my thumbs. She moans softly to the pressure I put into it as time goes by. Soon enough I begin tickling her lightly, she begins laughing loudly.

"Ha, ha! Stop that Todd, ha!" I grin mischievously.

"You're ticklish huh?" I continue tickling her shoulders as she tries to break out, unfortunately I've still got her pinned down.

"Ha, ha, ha! Todd, ha! You're really pushing my buttons!" She screams in a mixture of happiness and seriousness. I choose to ignore the serious side of it until she's tickled so hard, tears begin coming out of her eyes.

"How was that?" I ask curiously as she regains her breath.

"Extreme!" She exclaims. "Guilty as charged, ticklishness is my biggest weakness."

"Well I know now." I allow her to continue breathing before I slide forward and finally kiss her. The tension rises drastically as our lips are together, Maurecia slides her hands upon my chest and squeezes my abs. I wrap my arms around her neck and stroke her bare back with one hand and slide my other hand through her soft, beautiful, blueish purple hair. She reacts by doing the same to me as we continue to kiss passionately. The feeling of love between us now is stronger than ever before, I've never felt this close to anyone before and now Maurecia is finally receiving the pleasure she's longed for, while sharing it equally with me. The level of sensitivity between us has reached another level and it seems we're winning this level to. After a solid five minutes of back to back kisses and muscle relaxations, we finally slow down and take a breath.

"You're so good at this Todd." She says as joyful tears flood her face, she looks happier than I've ever seen her.

"I'm no better than you Maurecia." I respond. We stare into each other's eyes again, and then I slide off of her and lay on the left side of the bed. Maurecia eagerly snuggles up to me and continues to kiss my neck a few times. It's a very relaxing feeling. I respond by kissing her forehead. For a couple of minutes it's on and off kissing in places around the neck and a couple times on the chin, then I firmly grip her shoulders, causing her to flinch.

"Is something wrong?" She asks. I only smile and pull her in for one more kiss on the lips.

The very second my lips make contact with hers my eyes slam shut and I'm instantly in another world. I'm envisioning another dimension with a cosmic background and shooting stars around us. The overflowing glow shining around blinds me and the only thing I have left is the feeling in my jaws. The single strongest muscle I have is my upper and lower mandible and right now they're in for a battle. Maurecia powerfully inhales my lips and begins to suck on them. I feel the oxygen I have get lower and lower. I react by gathering all the strength in my lungs and inhaling back and to my surprise, I overpower her. I've got her lips completely trapped now and my own are holding them with all their power. I slowly insert my tongue into her mouth and playfully tickle the inside of her upper gum. She giggles a couple of times as I pull our faces extremely close and dig deeper. I can almost reach her uvula at this point. Our teeth are gradually stuck together with minimal pressure decreasing each second. She begins to slide her tongue into my mouth and does the same thing. Our chests are touching lightly, I can feel some of her long beautiful hair on my face, and the blood flow of our pulsating lips. The intensity is equally powerful in both of our mouths. Seconds later, my mouth is completely dry and so is hers. My lung capacity has found newer limits and is pushing them. The sheer force that forms our love has pulled us together. Maurecia whimpers quietly while trying to regain her breathing through her nose. I on the other hand am breathing rapidly but not as forcefully… yet. Our breathing patterns shift gears bigly as I begin to expand my lips, opening them outward within her mouth so the inner side of it is now touchable. I lick the sides of her mouth with the little amount of strength my tongue still has. Maurecia is paralyzed by the intensity and is too weak to move anymore. I really hope she can endure the pressure for a little longer, because I'm about to finish this.

I release her lips for a second and allow her to breathe. She desperately hyperventilates large breaths in and out very fast. I'm breathing much slower now but also taking heavy breaths. My lungs are so sore and so is my mouth, but after thirty seconds I halt her breathing by slamming my lips back upon hers. She immediately falls silent and gives into the intensity of the kiss. I feel my inner conscience faint on me, I'm so light headed I can hardly stay awake. But at the same time the power within is keeping me going. The force between our lips is now at much more unreachable level of strength than my electrically modified magnets. The blood flow in my body isn't silent anymore. I can feel every vein in my body pulsate in a circular current. But other than that, my muscles are numb. The only thing still conscious is my mandible. Maurecia and I are no longer breathing, but only feeling the pressure of our lips. I hold on for as long as I can until I finally end the kiss.

Both of us breathe really deep breaths to continue living. Maurecia is dry to the bone on body fluids, at the same time the rest of mine are on me because I've been sweating so much. I slowly slide closer to my exhausted girlfriend. She smiles lightly and wraps her arms around my head. I continue to breathe through my enormously heavy lungs as Maurecia pulls my head into her bare, clean, and overheating chest. Immediately I can hear her heavy heart booming inside her. Every breath she takes is slowly pushing my head forward and my own breathing is pulling me back in. After a solid minute I'm finally able to speak again.

"Are, you, still, conscious?" I ask almost motionlessly.

"Yep." She mutters through her strong breathing. "Just, barely… awake." She smiles down at me. I look back up and seeing her face the way it is forces a smile on my own. I've never felt so exhausted before, but at the same time I feel stronger than I ever was. Maurecia strokes the left side of my head lightly, while refusing to release my right side from her cleavage. No force on earth has ever strengthened me this much. The love that we share enlightens our hearts to receive an unfamiliar tone of romance we've never once knew of. We lay there for another five minutes until oxygen finally makes its way across my entire body. Maurecia's heartbeat is getting a little faster but less intense which is a good sign for me. I was very worried at a couple of points that one of us would strain the other person's heart and leave them unable to breathe anymore. But no, both of us survived our impeccable make out session with greater strength within our bodies. Just before Maurecia's heart lulls me to sleep she speaks once more.

"I love you Todd." I never could tell for sure how much she meant it before.

"I love you to Maurecia." I say before yawning once and falling into a beautiful sleep. Maurecia isn't slow to join me in the state of inner peace. I've been in love with her every second of the week and it's brought us even closer together. Merry Christmas indeed.

 **Author's Note: Well that was surprisingly fun for me to write. I hope no one was overwhelmed by this sudden level of intimacy. If I'm obligated to change the rating of this story, someone please tell me. But other than that, thank you for reading and have a nice day. There will be one follow up chapter to officially end the story, so look forward to that as well.**


	12. An Affectionate Gift

An Affectionate Gift

 **Author's Note: Well readers, this is the final chapter to my second story. Please enjoy!**

Friday

Todd's POV

It was a wonderful endearing night. I wake up from the best sleep I've ever had in my life and to my surprise, Maurecia is still asleep. We're still snuggling and she's still got her bare chest over my right ear, but I need to get one thing ready for her before she goes home. I slowly slide out of her grip while successfully avoiding waking her up. Then I put on a shirt and exit the room.

I'm now in the basement. I take out the box containing the magnets and an idea crosses my mind. It is Christmas day after all, and I have yet to get Maurecia anything. I then withdraw a high frequency glue gun with metal liquefaction acidity. A true present is very well organized and requires great effort to make. After about ten minutes I've finished and I hear wheels on the floor above me. Maurecia must finally be awake. I walk back up the stairs and spot Maurecia on the couch, who, is now wearing a shirt and holding a relaxed Fluffy on her lap.

"Good morning cutie pie." She greets me coyly. I smile and sit next to her.

"Good morning babe. Did you sleep well?" She giggles.

"I've never slept better in my life. I just want to ensure that you were warm last night." I nod.

"I was. How about you?"

"Very, very, warm." Fluffy giggles a few times. "And I assume you slept well." Fluffy nods. "Good, we all enjoyed our night." I grin.

"You know what it's time for?" She shrugs.

"What?" She gives a confused look.

"Christmas presents!" I exclaim. Immediately Maurecia blushes nervously.

"Oh, okay." I raise an eyebrow.

"Are you hiding something?" I ask in a seductive interrogating manner.

"Well, I just… I didn't get you anything." She says sounding ashamed.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. "You gave me your presence this entire week. That alone is a greater gift than anything else I've ever received." She smiles.

"I suppose, but your presence was a gift to me to you know?" I nod. "So, are we even?"

"I think so." I hold the box out. "Now open this one please." She holds her hand out like she's going to take it and then retracts it.

"You got me a real physical item?" I nod proudly. "I'm sorry Todd, but I don't feel comfortable accepting it because I didn't get you anything either." Fluffy holds his hand out agreeing to what she said.

"This isn't a Christmas present." I open the box and hold it closer to her. "Happy Birthday Maurecia!" Her eyes widen and her face lights up in a split second.

"Todd." She makes eye contact with me and almost cries. "You remembered?" I nod with humble satisfaction.

"Of course I remembered Maurecia. It's what any good boyfriend does." A tear streams down her face. Fluffy sighs contently. "How does it feel to be fifteen now?" She chuckles twice.

"Not much different yet." She says as she looks into the box with the magnets. "Your magnets?" I raise an eyebrow slowly.

"You mean, 'our' magnets babe." She grabs one of them and stares at it. It's engraved with the abbreviation 'T+M' that Maurecia used to use when she wanted me to fall in love with her.

"You engraved them with our initials?" I nod. "Wow." Her eyes are flooded with joyful tears. "That is the most romantic thing I've ever seen." Fluffy hops off of her lap as she abruptly hugs me. "Thank you so much Todd!" She exclaims happily.

"You're welcome." I respond while grabbing my magnet. "But it's not the magnet that counts." I hold our magnets closer together and the feeling within my heart feels empowered by the feelings within hers. "It's the bond that they have with each other. It represents the bond that we share." Her smile enlarges.

"Did you plan this Todd?" I shake my head.

"It just came across my mind. I felt the covalence between us needed to increase." She squeezes me tighter.

"Todd, there is no force on Earth that has a stronger force than we do right now. And they never will match the intensity of our feelings." She pulls me in for a heavy kiss. Fluffy giggles a few times until we stop. "I love you so much." I smile innocently.

"I love you to Maurecia." She nestles her cheek up against mine and hums softly as she continues to hug me. "It was nice to finally spend a tremendous amount of time with you."

"What better time than Christmas?" She asks. "You're family to me." I wrap my arm around her neck and lay it on her shoulder.

"So are you. I can't wait until our winter break is over." She ends the hug and gets on her feet.

"Me neither. But in the meantime I should probably pack up my items and head back to my house." I stand up and grab her bag.

"Allow me to help you with that." After a few minutes all of Maurecia's belongings are back in the bag and Fluffy is on her shoulders. She's about ready to skate out the door but she stops for a second.

"Well Todd, this was an incredible week we've shared." I nod.

"I know." Fluffy jumps onto her arm.

"And you've brought Fluffy and I closer together as well." Fluffy smiles and gives me a thumbs up.

"You're very welcome for that to." She skates a little closer.

"Well, goodbye Todd. I'll see you in ten days."

"I will look forward to that." I say as she caresses my cheek.

"Me to."

"Happy Birthday." She smiles.

"Thank you." She pulls me in for one more kiss. I gracefully participate in the endearment. Only a few seconds later, the door opens and my parents enter the house.

"Merry Christmas!" They both shout as Maurecia and I break our kiss. Both of us blush deeply.

"Shame, shame son." My dad says while chuckling. Maurecia waves shyly.

"Hello Angela and Chad." She says quietly.

"Could you two crazy kids just not wait to see each other again?" My mom asks.

"No we couldn't." I say. Maurecia suddenly stops blushing.

"It was a nice night." She holds her head up and skates out the door. "Bye Todd." She blows a kiss my direction. I smile.

"Bye Maurecia." I say while waving, then a daring smile appears on her face as she winks at me. I return a mirrored expression and wink back at her. I see Fluffy look up at her questionably before my dad closes the door.

"What was that wink about?" My mom asks. I shrug confidently.

"We had fun." My dad frowns and raises an eyebrow.

"What kind of fun?" He asks. I shrug and chuckle twice.

"You know, festivity fun." Both of them look at each other for a second with an untrustworthy expression.

"Okay. We trust you." My mom says. As she walks out of the room. My dad's frown increases slightly.

"Did you two do anything… you know? Adult?" He asks. I immediately make a savage comeback.

"Nothing as adult as you throwing away all of your money on Christmas time." He quickly looks nervous and sweats a little. "Did you profit?"

"Well… not really." I grin.

"How much did you lose?" I ask.

"It's not important." He sighs and smiles. "I'm glad you two had fun last night." He leaves the room.

*He doesn't know the half of it.* I think to myself.

 **Author's Note: Well there you go. That's the official ending to this story. I hope you enjoyed reading and with a little luck, I may be inspired to write one more. But until next time, bye and thank you for reading my story. It really means a lot to me.**


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